The Red Calm
by ANOVA Normal
Summary: Post invasion. Nagato does not resurrect the dead. With Konoha weak, Iwa scheming and Kiri rising, the 5 Nations are on the brink of war. Naruto must fight through conspiracy, betrayal and the Akatsuki to preserve peace and maybe find peace himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Am I the only one who thought the whole resolution between Pein and Naruto was the most unsatisfying moment in the entire series? What an insult to make such an amazing villain with earnest motivation to be belittled to such symbolic embellishment**. **I will try to fix this the best I can.**

* * *

><p>"Give me an answer!"<p>

The voice was not spoken. It was unleashed. It echoed through across the trees. It penetrated the mind. It struck a young shinobi with a harder blow than any Chidori, any revelation, even any death could possibly hope to achieve. The words were plague – as foul as the iron Nagato spat from his mouth.

"You cannot see things as I do," growled Nagato. "Nor should I have suspected any better, even from one as formidable as you, Naruto. It's with these eyes, these eyes that changed the very foundations of this earth, that I have sight that no one else does. You are blinded by your very nature. My eyes let me see."

Naruto understood. He pried from his enemy's mind the disease, the affliction, the curse that wove itself through the crevices of every cruel action, ever drop of blood and every soulless eye that stared into the oblivion.

Suddenly, everything seemed small. Miniscule even. His opponent, his master, his sensei, his village, his best friend, his comrades, a violet haired girl, even himself. All of them so tiny.

Naruto looked into the ripples of Nagato's pupils and he saw the world.

His friends had died. His role models murdered. His village in ruin.

He saw it all. He saw it all on a single leaf. The leaf was sickly, brown and dying. The wind heaved and the leaf fell. And above the leaf, trees and above the trees, forests.

The forest wasn't burning. It wasn't ending climactically, with every last moment fighting against the foreign power. There was no enemy here. No fire to douse, no entity to blame.

The forest was simply dying.

The young shinobi's mouth dried. There was no fire. There had never been a fire. Only the façade of smoke. Nagato could never have been the envoy of destruction. Orochimaru could never have murdered this world.

All these tyrants and villains, they were smoke - smoke of a fire that would never come.

Fire was not killing the forest. The forest was killing itself.

"And now you see," spoke Nagato softly. "You finally understand. I did not start this war. Nor did any of the Akatsuki, any hidden village, any country or any one person. This war is in and of us.

"I am the leaf," murmured Naruto.

"And we are but smolder," Konan replied.

"But this plan of mine is neither fire nor flame," whispered Nagato. "You fight to save the leaf, Naruto. You may even fight to save the forest. But this forest of peoples, it is unsalvageable."

"And…what is _your_ answer?" whispered the blonde-haired shinobi.

Nagato leaned forward, his chest heaving as he did. "It's not about saving the forest. It's about making these forests mountains! Mountains, my boy! I will make ranges of snowy peaks that break the clouds and touch the very heavens! And people will finally breathe! I will change these forests, dense, overgrown, roots suffocating one another. Prone to cannibalism. Prone to failure."

"You…you'd change who we are!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We are not children of peace, Naruto," confided the weary man. "If peace is the goal, the people we are now will never reach it."

Naruto was weary. He wasn't quite sure whether it was of battles and bodies or of ideas and minds. But he knew the severity of these implications. Every moment of his life, every triumph and every failure. It was about to be turned on its head.

"What is your answer?" asked Nagato again. Naruto heard the desperation in this man's voice. He heard the misery and despair of Nagato, willing to go to war to find this answer.

And Naruto still didn't have one. He felt sick. All these battles he had fought, and what had he fought them for? What answer did he have?

"Like you'd even accept an answer besides your own," Naruto spoke.

"SWINE!" roared Nagato, more furious than any previous encounter on the battlefield. "You dare say that to me after all this? I looked EVERYWHERE for an alternative answer! I traveled to every peak of this world. I spoke to every wise man there was to offer! I dedicated my life to finding another answer! You think I like this? I want another answer, Naruto!"

Naruto closed his eyes. He thought of the people he would never see again. He thought of the countess dead spread across both battlefields and history. He thought of death.

Naruto opened his eyes. He thought of the festivals he had seen with Jiraiya. He thought of the men and women he passed in the village. He thought of life.

"You…you want to cause the world so much pain that it has to change? People have to change? They will change so drastically that humanity and friendship are replaced with peace and fear?" Naruto stated, somberly.

Nagato waited patiently.

Naruto looked up at him. "I have my answer."

"And?"

"A small smile on the docks," Naruto said proudly.

Silence.

"A bit of rice when you've lost your lunch," Naruto continued. "Some healing ointment when you're bruised and battered. A free Ramen meal. A…a shared Popsicle when you're…feeling lonely and alone."

Nagato felt moisture pool in his eye for the first time in years. His eyes widened. His jaw hung loosely and his tongue struggled to react.

"A loaf of bread when you're hungry," Nagato whispered, looking at Konan. "A…a cave to stay in when it rains and rains."

Konan's breath began to shake along with her body. The paper wavered.

"A man to take us in when no one else did," Konan spoke quietly. "A man to care for us, defend us, feed us and shelter us…"

"Forgiveness after so much carnage," finished Naruto.

For the first time in the conversation, Naruto witnessed Nagato expression change into something other than the angry and indiscernible. It was sorrow.

"My answer is this," spoke Naruto strongly, standing straight. "Those things mentioned, they didn't just save our lives, they let us live! Where do these things fit in to your plan?"

Naruto approached the Akatsuki leader. "You want mountains, not forests. But mountains can't move. They can't feel. They can't give. They can't take. They…they just _are_."

"How much is peace worth if there's no one left to live it?" demanded Naruto. "All I know is this. If the choice is between war and everything I hold dear, give me war! Give me war, Nagato. Because the peace you want will kill us all!"

Konan now stood beside Nagato. He looked to the floor and then spoke softly to his life long comrade.

"That piece of bread saved my life, Konan," Nagato spoke, shaken. "I just…I just wanted it to stop! I…I just want to break through the overcast. How else can we get to the peaceful sky?"

"Maybe…maybe one day we'll be from forests to wind," Konan replied, to the blonde's surprise. "Maybe we must…put our trust in him."

"You are truly Jiraiya's student, Naruto," Nagato said quietly. "And…and you succeeded where he could not. Not to defeat me…but to…save me. You're right. I wouldn't have given up that loaf of bread for anything, nor the little cave with Yahiko or the days with Jiraiya-sensei."

"I've made my decision," Nagato said, a smile beginning to form on his beaten visage.

Konan's face instantly dropped. "Are…are you sure?"

"I've never been more certain of anything," Nagato murmured. "Naruto…come here, close."

Naruto hesitated but for a second and them found himself without fear, walking towards the man who would have imprisoned and eventually killed him a few moments ago. Nagato pulled Naruto's head in, the Jinchuuriki's ear at Nagato's mouth.

"There are only ever one pair of eyes of the Rinnegan at any time in this world, Naruto," whispered Nagato. "The Rinnegan is not born."

"It is passed."

The world exploded. White and flame combined as one and consumed the world for but a moment. Naruto opened his eyes.

And saw.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's a damn mess," muttered Shikaku. His son gazed at the map somberly. "Pein may be dead but even so, we are still in greater danger than ever."

"Word has already spread," cried Koharu. "Iwa is mobilizing their forces as we speak! With Jiraiya fallen and so his agreement null, we can no longer count on Kusa to guarantee our northern border!"

"We must show strength now more than ever," declared Homura. "Konoha's greatest deterrent for invasion, the Legendary Sannin are no more. The Copy Ninja, son of the White Fang, has fallen. And Hiashi continues to mourn for his daughter. With the death of the heir apparent of the Hyuuga, people say Hiashi is considering seceding the clan from Konoha jurisdiction!"

"But Naruto," interjected Shikamaru.

"Naruto is but one man," snapped Koharu.

"And yet it was one man who stopped Iwa from invading Konoha last time," Shikamaru shot back. "If we really want to show strength, why not take the one who defeated Pein and-"

"No."

The strict voice came from Shikamaru's father, to the surprise of all. "As powerful as Naruto is, it is beyond absurd to consider him for Rokudaime," Shikaku muttered. "Naruto is strong but young and easily manipulated. We cannot leave Konoha's future to the political whims of the other Great Countries while Naruto complacently goes along."

Inoichi sighed heavily. "We must also consider the fact that…the Godaime Hokage may not wake." The air filled with tension and silence. "If Lady Tsunade does not pull through, we will have to acknowledge that the last of the Senju are no more. If Senju blood, or even the possibility of Senju blood has ceased, Konoha loses another source of power."

Shikaku nodded. "The balance of power hasn't shifted this drastically since the sacking of Uzugakure. And added on the death of one of the Great Toad Sages on Konoha land no less, we can't rely on the support of Mount Myobokuzan. There is only one answer. As senior Jonin, we must recommend Danzo to the position of Rokudaime Hokage."

Shikamaru stood up suddenly, angered by the words of his scarred father. "A man whose talents were mysteriously vacant when Konoha was being destroyed! However strong he is, he didn't see it necessary to display it at any time to protect the village!"

"We don't have a choice," muttered Inoichi. "I will leave it to the council to arrange meetings with the Fire Daiymo. No doubt the loss of so many powerful shinobi will have left his list of Hokage successors quite short. And where is Naruto?"

It was not at all what he imagined it would be. Naruto stared at the Memorial Stone, blankly. What he would give to see the Stone blank. The weather was warm and sunny although Naruto felt more cold and detached than ever. That comforting feeling and confidence in the goodness Naruto saw, had faded too quickly.

He naively envisioned celebration when he defeated Pein. For a moment, Naruto thought he would have vindicated himself in the eyes of the village – his every critics. But Konoha was grim. Even a war hero could not pull them from a grieving slumber. The people passed from one source of anguish to the next.

The first night was grieving for all those who had perished at the hands of Nagato. Naruto no longer had hate for the man, in fact he understood him. But that did not make the pain any less insufferable. The total count came close to a hundred. Naruto knew that without the protection and selflessness of the Fifth, those numbers would have grown exponentially to many thousands. Konoha citizens, with tears streaming off faces, lifted small candles in the air, trying to convince the fallen that their Wills of Fire lived on in them. Naruto wondered if in reality, they lifted small candles to try and convince themselves. The Will of Fire was strong, Naruto acknowledged that. But at least at the precipice of catastrophe, the flame could not warm a soul so empty and shattered.

The second night was in prayer for their beloved Hokage. The moment Naruto was told of Tsunade's ill condition, he froze, convinced he could not thaw until Tsunade-baa-chan awoke. The Sannin were no more. Nor was the one who bestowed that title upon them. Nor was the master they shared. Nor were the apprentices they had. Anko dead. Minato dead. Shizune dead. Naruto could not lose Tsunade-baa-chan. He'd sooner face all the evils and tyrants of the world than let one of the only people left he held affection for, perish. The villagers called here the Senju Princess, the last of the blood that changed the world forever. Naruto felt the foundations of Konoha begin to weep with the possibility of losing three Senju Hokages.

Naruto felt another pang in his heart when he remembered the necklace she had given him, the day he mastered the Fourth Hokage's technique. Tsunade had entrusted the dreams of her loved ones into the necklace and unto Naruto. And in a rage only fitting for a beast, Naruto destroyed it. He had destroyed what Tsunade-baa-chan had entrusted him with. The shards of the Shodaime Hokage's necklace were to the wind. And all the hope poured into it, gone with it, now far from Konoha's reach. Far from Naruto's reach.

The third night was for the Hyuuga. Naruto couldn't bring himself to leave his room that night. Hiashi's sorrow could be felt and heard from the moment he collapsed with the news. He had charged past the crowds and leapt into the crater, madness already vibrating in his sorrowful cries. Over the body of his firstborn daughter, the proud leader of the Hyuuga clan wept as no babe could. He unsteadily held the silky violet hair of his daughter through his fingers and caressed her face. The face which smiled at death. A tearful father saw the pale pupils of his child dim, the mark that this Hyuuga would never again awaken the Byakugan. On that night, Naruto had exhausted himself of all emotions he could have had for Hinata. He remembered the trembling rage when the Kyuubi took over. All mixtures of emotions, complexities and possibilities took over a battered mind until when Naruto broke free, he had passed all fires of grief with only the likes of acceptance as a memory of Hinata.

Her final words to him gave him chills. It made sense, as Naruto looked back. He still didn't know what to think, how he should feel. He wished he could have spoken to Hinata about it. Naruto wished she had said so earlier, he wished he had caught on earlier. Perhaps then, he could have made some sense of it all.

A few days later, he managed to bring himself to Hinata's final resting place. It was beautiful, covered in lavender and possessions of grievers looking to give. It was filled with tokens of citizens, people remembering the kindness that the late heir apparent brought forth with her. Amongst it all, Naruto spotted something that both warmed and froze his heart.

At the foot of her headstone there was a small piece of bread, barely enough to feed a child. Naruto showed the tiniest of smiles.

"I did it, Hinata," whispered Naruto. "I beat him."

There was only the chirping of absent minded birds as Naruto struggled to find more words to say.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted me to be," spoke the blonde, softly. "But don't worry. I'll make sure Neiji gets back on his feet. And I'll make sure your father and sister don't take their grief to their graves. You…I thought you were one of the prettiest girls. I thought you should know that. Well, anyways…thank you Hinata. You have my word. And you know my nindo. Goodbye."

The nights of sorrow forced Naruto to shake his head back to the present. With Sakura beside him, he gazed at the particular spot of a new name engrained upon the Memorial Stone.

**Hatake Kakashi**

It was just the simple name. No mention of his ancestry or legacy. No appraisal for his accolades and titles. He wouldn't have wanted that.

"Do you think Sasuke-kun would care?" asked Sakura quietly.

Naruto didn't speak.

"He wanted to bring Sasuke back, you know," said a near tearful Sakura. "He didn't say it as often or bluntly as you did, but he wanted to reunite Team 7 so badly. He wanted to…redeem himself."

"Now it's up to us," replied Naruto, with white knuckles. "I will bring Sasuke back for you, for me and for Kakashi-sensei."

"Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded, taking hands with Sakura. They approached the Memorial Stone and soft jingles could be heard. Naruto and Sakura bent down and placed two silver bells at the foot of the Stone.

"There you go, Kakashi-sensei," mumbled Naruto. "Now you don't have to be late all the time. You can stay here forever."

"He believed in us," spoke Sakura. "All three of us. So we have to do the same. Kakashi-sensei made Team 7. We need to honor it by restoring it."

Naruto and Sakura began walking back to what was left of the village hidden in the leaves. Earth release shinobi were already working on filling the enormous crater within the walls of Konoha. Fearing imminent attack, the interim government had decided to make moving people back behind the walls a priority.

"Naruto, Sakura!" called a voice in the trees. Shikamaru appeared. "They got a barbeque place up, finally. Hungry?"

The pair nodded earnestly and followed Shikamaru.

"So how is it like, being Jonin?" asked Sakura.

"Pain in the ass," grumbled Shikamaru. "I was pretty much forced by my father to become Jonin. I guess the postponing had reached its limit. Anyway, it means I'm more privy to conversations that show me just how much shit we're in."

"Do you think Hiashi is serious about pulling the Hyuuga out of Konoha?" Sakura demanded. "What happened to Hinata was tragic. But it's not like she was forced by Konoha to do it. She did it for…"

Naruto could feel Shikamaru and Sakura's nervous glances at him whenever Hinata was brought up. She had died for Naruto and they didn't know why. Hell, he knew why and wasn't any less confused than they were.

"It's not about blame," Naruto said slowly. "It's about being reminded of the loss everyday. I don't think Hiashi wants to bear it. He thinks that getting far away from Konoha will help him forget the loss. But you can't run from pain. It'll catch up to you no matter where you go. Tsunade-baa-chan knows that. But if he doesn't, the pain could destroy him…"

Naruto fell into deep thought as he walked.

Jiraiya, Kakashi, Shizune, Fukasaku, Hinata and so many others.

Naruto had witnessed not only his own pain, but of those around him. Had it been worth it? Why couldn't he shake this feeling of uncertainty over his decision? The pain was forever burned into memory. With that in mind, did he make the right choice. Were all these deaths, all this pain, worth it?

Naruto saw the smiling faces of his fellow ninja, waving him over to their table. They beckoned at him with bright faces and lovely grins. They offered him food, company, warmth.

_"Was it worth it?"_ Naruto asked himself. "_I hope so._"


	3. Chapter 3

"Behold, the Rokudaime Hokage, Danzo Shimura!"

Applause thundered before the newly appointed Hokage's feet. Danzo shared the briefest moment of satisfaction. But that was it. He had survived this far with caution and vigilance. His tenure could not change this lest his reign fail short. Emotionless as ever, shrouded behind masks, stood the newly reinstated ANBU Root at Danzo's back.

Shikamaru looked onto the celebration with uncontained nervousness. There was much tension between the regular ANBU division and Danzo's newly reinstated unit. The ANBU stood behind Tsunade while Root pledged undying allegiance to the Rokudaime. If temperament was not practiced on both sides, things could turn ugly between the two elite units of Konoha ninja.

The young ninja grimaced further when another possibility dawned on him. What was to happen should Tsunade wake, now that a new Hokage had been declared? What would happen to Konoha if two people claimed the position of Hokage? Would it be another Madara Hashirama conflict? Could the village survive even more internal divisions after such trauma?

No. Internal conflict was out of the question. No matter how much some would disagree with Danzo, he was their new leader. Shikamaru sighed. They had lost so many people already. And the news of Anko and Sai was further disheartening. They had simply vanished after Yamato was forced back to the village. The reports stopped coming and Shikamaru feared the worse. As if the Akatsuki weren't bad enough, it seems Kabuto was emerging as a large enough threat to take out two of Konoha's top shinobi.

"Hokage-sama," greeted Shikaku, head bowed low to the entering cripple. "Congratulations on the appointment."

"I understand you recommended me personally, Shikaku," noted Danzo. "You do your clan's reputation proud I see. But ceremony is over. Konoha's position is viewed from the outside as frail. But we must show strength, especially to Iwa. If those bastards think they can cross the northern border uncontested, they are fools indeed. I am sending a division of Root to Kusagakure. My strongest men will be stationed there. With the show of force, I believe Iwa will back down and Kusa think twice before allowing Iwa nin safe passage across the bridges."

"The Kusa has remained our ally for quite some time and will not be happy that Konoha has moved military personnel into their land," cautioned Shikaku.

"They appeared to be find with Iwa nin walking about," retorted the bandaged Hokage. "Whether they like it or not I cannot wager Konoha's safety on the decisions of Kusa. With ranks diminished I am forced to call upon the younger generation to assist in these perilous times. It is an opportunity for them to earn the trust of their Hokage. Shikaku, your son is to lead a detachment into Amegakure. He is to strike hard and fast at any and all targets that present themselves. Further reinforcements will follow a preliminary ground report."

"You're moving against Ame?" asked Jonin, ludicrously. "An act of war?"

"That is our only choice," spoke Danzo. "We must show the world that if Konoha is attacked, in return we will utterly destroy the aggressor in cold retribution. We will wipe Ame off the map as we should have done years ago."

A nervous Koharu interjected. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but I'm not sure Konoha is in any position to engage in such offensive measures. Perhaps sanctions or-"

"I have said my last on this," replied the Hokage, coldly. "Amegakure is a threat to Konoha's security. We cannot allow it to continue existing. To other matters, call off the hunt for Kabuto. We have far too little resources to throw them at such petty goals."

"Petty goals?" repeated Inoichi. "He just murdered two of our ninja, one of which was under your personal command!"

"We do not know that they are dead. And even if they are, they served their duties as Konoha ninja. More importantly, based on Tenzo's last report, Kabuto hunts our dear rogue Uchiha. Let the snake do our work for us."

"The Kazekage has sent delegates to Konoha," Homura noted. "The letter claims it is for the purposes of extending condolences and offering ratification of the Alliance treaty that was dissolved once Hoka-…Tsunade-sama was incapacitated."

"Good, good," murmured Danzo. "That leaves one issue left. Kiri."

"Ever since that country stabilized under the Fifth Mizukage, they have been spreading like wildfire across the eastern waters," grunted Koharu with disdain. They have made claim and annexed numerous territories. They have just absorbed the Land of Waves as a protectorate of Kirigakure. Which means they control the Great Naruto Bridge that connects to the mainland. If we allow this strategic funnel to go uncontested, we may soon find Water nin on our shores."

"Then send a team there as well," murmured the Hokage. "The political order is shifting. The two Great Nations of Water and Earth seek to destroy us while our neighbors in the Grass and Waves do nothing. Assemble a team to the Land of Waves. Ame will fall within the month. After that we may turn our focus north and then finally westward to Kiri."

OOO

"Pein is missing," hissed Zetsu.

"The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is stronger than we imagined," muttered Madara. "Pein and Konan are gone. The Kyuubi remains within what is left of Konoha. So long as Tsunade remains alive, I cannot risk taking Naruto from there."

"**She's weak and comatose. What threat does she pose?"**

"It is not her abilities that I fear, but her blood," snapped Madara. "She is a Senju. She may possess the only power able to rival my own."

**"I don't see the problem. She has never once been seen using Wood release. Odds are she is unable to use the power like so many Senju before her. Even amongst the Senju, those who could create life and control the Bijuu were few and far between. It is unlikely Tsunade possesses such an ability."**

"That is not a chance I am willing to take," stated Madara sternly. "I do not yet wish to reveal myself to the world and I cannot teleport the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki so long as his mother's chakra runs through his veins. I would have to possess the Kyuubi in order to bring it back. And if I possess it there is a chance, Tsunade will respond likewise."

"And?"

"Hashirama was a cunning man," murmured Madara. "Before releasing the nine Bijuu to the other countries to balance power, he had them marked. Each Bijuu bears the mark of the Senju. If Tsunade is able to break my control of the Kyuubi, she will break my control over all other Bijuu we have been collecting and jailing. I will not jeopardize our progress due to an impatient whim. And if my Senju problems were not large enough, that wretched brother of Hashirama's seal, prevents me from bringing harm to any who possess the blood of the Senju."

"**Kisame has not yet intercepted the Hachibi. It appears he has run into an old acquaintance – one of yours as well, if I'm not mistaken. From what I saw before I was forced back, he is giving Kisame much difficulty."**

"It is no matter," sighed Madara. "Our progress will continue with or without the Kyuubi for the time being. Perhaps we will send our new member after the Hachibi instead while Kisame is tied up."

**"I will let him know. I must say, it was a wise move to recruit Katsuro…Kaguya."**

OOO

Naruto sat on top of the Yodaime Hokage's head – his father's monument. Birds flocked to his shoulders as rings appeared beneath his eyes. It was a long shot, but Sage mode had allowed him to detect chakra presence in the Konoha area. On the off chance Sasuke was nearby, maybe…maybe. And so he and the six clones he had managed to maintain focused and stood still. He had to bring Sasuke back.

**NARUTO!"** thundered a voice in his head. "**I WILL CONSUME YOU PIECE BY PIECE."**

Suddenly, his blood began to feel as if it was boiling. His chakra was disrupted and Naruto fell to his side in agony. The clones disappeared with smoke and the flocks of birds immediately took haste towards the skies. Naruto rolled around, clutching his stomach. His eyes bore no more rings. Instead they showed a faint red hue around his pupils.

Delirious with pain, Naruto raised his shirt and saw in horror his seal. It was fading. He could hear the laughter of the Kyuubi. He felt weak, his chakra gone. Along with the pain he felt throughout his body, he couldn't even move. He tried to yell, to notify someone but to no avail.

_This can't be happening. After all this, after all I've fought for, is this how it ends? The Kyuubi is going to escape on the head of the one who sealed him. No…NO!_

His mouth finally moved but not the way Naruto intended. It widened and widened and widened. Naruto thought his jaw would snap. And to a stomach-lurching surprise, sprang forth a certain frog – a frog that had been sealed within him not days before.

"Oh no, this is bad!" cried Gerotora.

He formed signs, unraveling his scroll body and placed his webbed hand over top of Naruto's seal as the Jinchuuriki flailed around in pain.

"What is this?" exclaimed the frog. "The seal is not breaking! It's…inverting? Oh no."

Frantically, the frog began to call up all knowledge that had been granted to him. Years and years of fuinjutsu he began to recall with as much haste as was possible. More signs and more attempts to no avail. Naruto began to lose consciousness. The world began to fade. Naruto felt himself dying. And if he did, what was left of Konoha would soon follow. The darkness crept up to his vision. He tried shaking off its clutches but it was as if the will of the Kyuubi itself began to force his eyelids shut and his mind idle.

_This can't be the end! It can't! I can't die now! Not until I bring Sasuke back. Not until I fulfill my promise to Nagato and Ero-sennin. Not until I become Hokage! I can't die! I won't let it take me!_

"Seal!" thundered Gerotora.

Naruto had a huge gasp of air. The pain ceased. His chakra rushed back into him. Pale as a ghost, the blonde Jinchuuriki laid on his back with labored breath and sweat pouring from his brow. The frog shared his panting as it appeared they had both been taxed beyond measure.

"You're lucky kid," breathed Gerotora, hard. "I don't even want to think what would've happened if I was a couple seconds late."

"What…just happened?" demanded Naruto loudly.

His seal was now clear and visible but very different. It was as if someone had painted his seal solid black. It resembled only a black hole in the middle of his stomach now.

"You're seal, it was inverting!" exclaimed the frog. "I've frozen it temporarily but a seal like that isn't going to freeze forever especially with your tenant."

"What do you mean inverting?" cried Naruto. "What is happening to me?"

Gerotora pondered for a moment. "Jiraiya once told me that your seal was designed to allow you to eventually absorb the chakra of the Kyuubi into your own. This process was supposed to be gradual but continuous."

"Then what happened?" yelled the blonde. "Why did I feel like I was dying?"

"The Fourth's Eight Tetragram seal has begun inversing. You are not absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra. It is absorbing yours!"

"What!" screamed Naruto. "Are you saying the Kyuubi is taking over me? You're the key right? Seal it back up! Do it now!"

Gerotora sighed, nervously. "The seal hasn't been broken! I cannot fix this! Freezing it temporarily was the best I could do. You won't be able to access any Kyuubi chakra while the freeze is in place. But how did this happen…hmm. Large chakra abnormalities perhaps. Maybe it was that seal Orochimaru struck you with years ago, or maybe it was the senjutsu or even the chakra released when the Shodai Hokage's necklace was broken. The origin is no longer the problem though! We must fix this and fast!"

"How? I don't know anything about seals!" shouted the Jinchuuriki.

"Fukasaku-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-sama, even Tsunade-sama would know how to fix this," whispered Gerotora. "But they can't help us now."

"Think, please!" pleaded Naruto. "I won't allow this thing to hurt my comrades again. I'll sooner die and break my word and my dreams before I let the Kyuubi take over!"

"There is one possibility," murmured Gerotora. "It's a long shot but we're out of options."

"What is it?" demanded Naruto.

"There once existed a land where masters of sealing hailed from," Gerotora spoke. "It has fallen into ruin and out of memory. The land is no more, nor are the people. But there is a chance the knowledge remains. Even if it's the slightest chance, we must take it Naruto. If we are to halt your seal's inversion, we must go to Uzugakure in the Land of Whirlpools. It is a land that was spectacularly sacked and destroyed by Kirigakure over 50 years ago. Now forgotten, it is a lonely strip of water and earth off the coast of Konoha, just north of the Land of Waves."

"Uzu…gakure," repeated Naruto slowly. "But that bastard Danzo! He would never let me leave or even grant me an audience to explain the situation!"

"Naruto!" snapped the frog. "It doesn't matter how you do it, but you _must_ get to Uzugakure. All will be lost if you let this malady go untreated."

"Ino did mention that she and her dad were putting a team together to Wave Country," murmured Naruto.

"Get on that team, Naruto Uzumaki, and you get to Uzugakure."


	4. Chapter 4

"Ungrateful piece of shit!" cried Kisame, launching a firm kick at his once faithful Samehada.

"A stolen blade will never be loyal, Kisame."

"Shut the hell up," the shark-man sneered, wiping blood from the side of his bleeding head. "You trying to give me another lecture after all these years? Piss off. Sounds less like a reprimand and more like you licking your wounds – professional jealousy I suppose."

"It pains me Kisame," spoke Akatsuki ninja's opponent. "It pains me to see how far you've fallen, how low your lust for blood and carnage has brought you. It is my fault. I no longer hide from this fact. But I will have redemption. And my redemption comes from your death, Kisame!"

Kisame leapt away as his opponent struck his previous position with earthshattering might. A moment of relief was overcome as Kisame's ears felt as if they were to explode and he was violently thrown back while in the air. The Akatsuki member tumbled through the trees, eventually smashing several to make his way to solid ground in a very angry state. His Samehada trashed on his back uncontrollably.

The missing-nin cursed loudly as he sealed his beloved blade into a scroll. It had been his best chance against an opponent of this caliber but it was in no condition to serve him.

"I'll hand it to you," laughed Kisame. Blood trickled from his mouth as well. "Even after all this time, you seem just as strong. Strong enough to sneak up on me, strong enough to use cheap parlor tricks on my blade, strong enough to push me to my limits for the first time in a very long time. But you never were strong enough weren't you?"

The shark-man's smile widened, bearing his vicious teeth as he did. His opponent said nothing, but Kisame knew him well enough to understand his agitation.

"And you think killing me and the rest of us will make up for your weakness," cried out Kisame, holding his side in laughter. "What a pathetic tale."

His opponent launched at him again, his blade ready to end Kisame once and for all. Mustering strength in his shoulders and biceps, Kisame pulled together his hands in frightening speed and stopped the blade, hand on either side. He grinned as his opponent struggled.

Kisame was wise enough to know who here was more powerful. But in terms of sheer strength, Kisame still hadn't found one who could contest with him, not even as legendary a ninja as the one he now faced. Something glimmering caught his eye. Beneath his opponent, was yet another discarded object. It looked like a sword sheath.

Kisame's smile vanished when he realized his opponent had been wielding a concealed double-bladed sword. The sharp pain as the blade had been twisted in his hand while the other side of the sword neatly ran him through still couldn't compare to the feeling when the sword was ripped from his body, slashing off some valuable pieces of his body along with it.

Kisame, however, was not one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist for no reason. Overcoming the pain, he threw a might punch at his opponent who was forced backwards. Putting together shaky seals, he groaned as he spoke the words.

"**Water Release: Water Shark Bullet**"

Not even waiting for the technique to strike his opponent, Kisame fumbled for his scroll, losing blood every second. He knew he had to be quick. Before he even launched it, he knew his attack would be halted.

The water materialized out of thin air and sped towards his opponent, the speed giving way to a shark form. Moments before it struck, it completely halted – water still. It was as if the water obeyed the man's very will. It lost momentum and thus form. It poured back at Kisame's opponent's feet. His opponent looked up and for the first time in their encounter, he was taken aback.

"Kisame," whispered the man. "What on earth have you done to yourself?"

The grin was wider than ever. The barely human Kisame stood healed and healthy though grotesque. As one with his Samehada, he did not need it to obey him, merely to merge and heal him with the chakra stored in it from a previous battle. Even in this form, Kisame knew if this continued he would not win. He was the worst match up against someone like his opponent and they both knew that.

"You've made yourself more a monster," commented his opponent.

"Yes and we all know how hard you worked to achieve the opposite so spare me!" snapped Kisame, suddenly irritated. "But you were wrong! Whatever monstrosity comes about between my merging, it has made me stronger, faster and more powerful than the likes of you!"

With a speed that could barely be followed Kisame launched himself at his attacker with every intention to bring the pair of them down together. Before he could manage, he felt a very strange tingle in the air. He stopped, not knowing whether he felt grateful or annoyed.

A figure wearing dark robes with red clouds and sporting an orange mask had appeared on the battlefield.

"I'm afraid you still have much more use to me alive," Madara spoke coldly. "Let's return."

Kisame had concluded he was irritated by the interruption after all but obeyed nonetheless. He stood next to the true Akatsuki leader.

Madara turned to Kisame's attacker. "And you, I had heard you died. If you continue to hunt Kisame and become a nuisance, I will have to deal with you myself. And trust me, it will not go as it did years ago. I will deal with you eventually, but not now. I'll be seeing you soon."

The pair vanished in a phenomenon still unexplained by all who witnessed it. Sufficed to say, the mysterious man was left alone amidst the destroyed forest.

"MADARA!" he bellowed.

OOO

It had been long since Killer B had been silenced. This as he concluded, was a necessity as the battle underway proved serious and deadly enough to require his full attention. The Akatsuki, it appears, had found him yet again. But this one bore neither the Sharingan eyes nor the snide aura of his first young attacker. The man Killer B was trying to survive against had white hair that fell on his face. Two small red dots marked the man's forehead.

His weapon of choice, a long solid white bone that he had, seemingly impossibly pulled from his spine. His adeptness with the blade as well as stories Killer B had heard as a boy led the Hachibi Jinchuuriki to be certain of his attacker's identity.

This was Katsurou Kaguya, leader of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

He had once thought his seven-blade Kenjutsu style to be impenetrable. He had been proven wrong, by the world's master of Kenjutsu no less. Despite the gravity of the situation, Killer B was wondering about the weapon in the Kaguya's hand. If the stories of old were true, his opponent wielded the Marrow Blade, a weapon of the wielder's own body and spirit with the same force and loyalty. If it was anything like all other weapons he had drawn, it was light as a feather, but it struck with a force that could shatter the hardest of bones – save for that of a Kaguya. Killer B had the wounds to prove it.

The Hachibi's chakra did well to mend what it could, but the throbbing of where he was struck would not subside for several days, he was sure. That was, if he survived that long. If possible, he wanted to avoid Jichuuriki Version 2 state. Some ominous feeling of his told him that this legendary Swordsman had had experience with Bijuu. He couldn't explain the reasoning behind what he thought but whenever he stared into the eyes of this Akatsuki member, it was almost a taunt for Killer B to reveal his true power. He would not play the Kaguya's game. Not unless he was forced.

Accepting that his opponent had the uperhand in swordplay, Killer B launched them at Katsurou Kaguya with a timing and precision that made it impossible to outmaneuver all of them. With the launch of each blade, Killer B poured as much power and momentum into them as possible. Katsurou did well to avoid the early blades but the realization dawned on him that he would be struck. To Killer B's shock, instead of trying to duck, cringe or shield himself, the Kaguya took the three remaining unavoidable blades straight to the chest.

His face remained unchangingy stoic. More surprisingly, even with all the force poured into them, the blades had barely penetrated him at all. The Akatsuki member removed the blades one by one, each one having barely penetrated the skin.

But the Kumo nin couldn't hesitate, not for a second. He had to take the initiative and keep his aggressor on his toes. Perhaps then, Katsurou might slip up. He raised one of his huge fists and launched it at a somewhat surprised Katsurou. The Akatsuki figure merely raised his forearm to block.

The impact forced both men backwards. Killer B swore he saw the bone-man wince. The Kaguya surveyed his own arm with curiosity.

"That actually hurt a little," he remarked as if it were a world-crashing revelation.

Meanwhile, Killer B struggled not to show any sign of weakness but his fist throbbed like none other. It felt like he had tried to punch a mountain. No, scratch that, he _had_ struck mountains and none withstood or hurt as much as punching the Kaguya did.

Once again, he went on the offensive. If he hesitated he would lose. More carefully now, he threw a flurry of blows. Kastsurou dodged them with splendid motion. The jinchuuriki curled back his fist again at which point something made the Kumo nin's jaw drop. Katsurou's chest erupted. And out from it came what looked to be a rib. It extended and grew long, and fast. With a sharpened edge, it sped at Killer B, who managed to dodge it, grabbing the bony monstrosity as he sidestepped it.

_"What kind of freak is this?"_ he thought to himself.

Two more ribs had been launched, still connected to the Kaguya's body, intent on spearing the larger Killer B. The dark-skinned shinobi avoided those as well. Grabbing two of them, he twisted as hard as he could, trying to break them off. Amazingly, in all his strength, they didn't even show hints of weakness. Judging this futile, the Jinchuuriki launched the Akatsuki member into the air using the monstrous ribs.

As he flew, the bones returned to his body and Katsurou considered his next move. He saw the Hachibi container launch himself into the air, intent on a collision. Raising his right arm, he took aim.

"**Finger Drilling Bullets**"

From his finger tips, emerged bones once connected to his fingers. Now they flew like missiles honed in a target. Most were dodged by two struck home. Katsurou dodged the airborne attack and landed safely on the ground. Killer B followed suite moments later.

"The wounds are small, aren't they," commented Katsurou Kaguya. "They seem miniscule right now, barely worth any concern, hardly appealing any concern. But you have no idea how much those small wounds will hurt. However small, they will consume you in anguish if not treated. Hachibi, I am in anguish, can you tell? I need my treatment, and you're going to help me get it!"

He withdrew his Marrow Blade again. Killer B tensed. He had no choice, he had to go into Version 2. The techniques of that Kiri Swordsman were flawless. The blade itself, sharpened beyond a blacksmith's dream and hardened beyond a diamond's prowess. Killer B did not want to know what happened if struck by such a weapon.

It seems Katsurou had a change of heart. He wanted his treatment. He wanted it as fast as possible meaning the end the fight as fast as possible. With some manner of sword dance that Killer B had never seen, the Kaguya combined mesmerizing and complex movements with a burst of speed and was upon the Jinchuuriki in a manner of seconds, denying any possibility for a transformation on Killer B's part.

Before the Marrow Blade could strike, a blue blur had struck the Akatsuki and launched him back with such a force to propel him through several trees. Stunned and confused, Katsurou stood up, before grabbing his chest in awe. It appeared Kumo nin struck hard. Hard enough to even cause a Kaguya to feel it.

"But what was that?" he murmured to himself.

"You and the rest of the Akatsuki will pay for trying to kidnap Killer B twice!" roared the giant man sporting the hat of the Raikage. "I'll start with your life, but not before I beat out the location of the rest of the Akatsuki from you!"

"Well," sighed Katsurou, whipping his dark robes around him. "Continuing now would be foolish."

"Cowards like the rest of them!" shouted the Raikage. "Couldn't dream of testing the mettle of a drew warrior without a surprise attack!"

Katsurou corrected himself. "It'd be foolish to continue because murdering the Yondaime Raikage would definitely impede my pursuit for treatment."

"You little brat," growled the Raikage.

"I will admit," Katsurou stated. "You are strong. I couldn't even follow you and I even felt your blow. But if we fight, Raikage-sama, I will win because my need of treatment is stronger than any motivation you could ever garner."

Katsurou paused momentarily. "You there, Hachibi. Tend to your injuries. Do not underestimate small wounds. They will kill you eventually."

The ground between the Akatsuki member and Killer B with the Raikage erupted instantaneously, white pillars rising from the earth shrouding Katsurou from sight. A furious leader channeled so much energy as to smash several of them apart, clearing a tunnel of sight to the other end. The Kaguya was gone.

"Raikage-sama!" cried a Jonin from Kumo, landing beside the leader. "We will establish a perimeter to trap the assailant."

"Don't bother, Darui" fumed the large Raikage. "He's gone. Send the word out to the other Great Nations. I am calling a Kage summit. I don't care if Konoha is licking its wounds or if their about to fight some childish war with Iwa again. I want the kages convened! Do you hear me? Prepare messages to all the Kage. And yes, I want the damned Mizukage there as well. She better be able to answer for our annexed islands on top of the Akatsuki matter."

The Raikage turned to Killer B, who was wrapping his wounded side with a long bandage. "Don't worry, brother, we will destroy them."

OOO

"It's okay. It's fine. I just have to get used to it. I learnt to walk once already right? The second time around should be easy! Just, one step in front of the other. One, two, one, tw-"

"Come on Naruto!" scolded Sakura. "I'll be 20 before we get there at this rate!"

"Sorry, sorry," laughed Naruto, nervously.

Tentatively, he tried picking up the pace. It was just like before, just a little faster.

"Oh! This is easy."

"Naruto!" shouted Sakura. "Stop goofing around!"

"Sorry," muttered the Jinchuuriki. The apology was muffled by the ground that covered his face after he had tripped spectacularly.

Everything was difficult. Moving and running let alone performing techniques required so much more concentration and effort than before. Gerotora warned Naruto that his body and chakra system would take time to adjust to the Freezing seal.

Ino looked behind her shoulder and scoffed before turning face and continuing at a brisk pace with her father in tow. It had been like this the whole trip. Naruto had become quite accustom to the back of Ino's head. She hardly looked at him. After that day, Naruto couldn't help wonder whether Ino actually hated him.

**Flashback**

"I can't believe you convinced Danzo to let me on the team!" cheered Naruto. He made to jump but doubled over suddenly.

"Naruto?" inquired Ino, puzzled.

He waved frantically. "No, no, don't worry. I…I just pulled something. I'll be fine."

Inoichi smiled. "They named the bridge after you, Naruto. Anyone would be foolish to think you didn't hold some sort of sway in Wave Country. And it's Hokage-sama now, Naruto."

They had left the gate and down the dirt road that Naruto remembered from so long ago.

"Well they didn't name the bridge after me!" huffed Sakura. "So I hardly see why I got dragged into this! I have to look after Tsunade-sama. Now that…now that Shizune's gone, I'm the only one she has left. I should be with my master, not dilly dallying on a diplomacy mission!"

"The more familiar faces, the better," muttered Inoichi. "We have received early reports already. The island has begun militarizing. Whether it's in preparation for an invasion, or simply a Kiri standard, we need to be on our guard."

"I never hear talk of Kirigakure anyway," Ino grumbled. "How'd they go from a nobody to this big bad threat all of a sudden?"

"The other nations refer to the Land of Water as the sick child of the World," spoke Inoichi. "It is not pleasant to speak of such turmoil and troubles that Kirigakure can't seem to escape. Though apparently they must have now if they have mobilized power so quickly…"

"Zabuza," stated Sakura, "you remember him Naruto?"

"Yeah, the guy with no eyebrows. He was one of those…one of those guys…who were they again?"

"The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist," replied Inoichi quite sternly. "They are perhaps the only group of ninja in history that have ever rivaled the Akatsuki now in power. For in their prime, the Swordsmen were second to none. When they awoke, the world shuddered. In that time, the Sandaime worried over no one who could threaten Konoha's safety. No one except the Seven. But after what happened in Uzu, well…I suppose it put things in perspective for him."

Naruto's head snapped up, alarmed. "Uzu? What about Uzu?"

"Ah, ancient history," brushed off Inoichi. "A tragedy if I ever heard one. Not quite a story befitting the beginning of a mission. We wouldn't want downed spirits so soon now would we?"

"Didn't you pay any attention in the Academy Naruto?" asked Ino. "Iruka-sensei talked about it a lot, you know."

Inoichi laughed. "Yes Iruka reveres the past, some say too much…"

"He said if there were ever finer shinobi than Konoha's, they would have come from Uzugakure," remembered Ino, scratching her head in nostalgia. "It sounded like a fairy tale though. A great powerful land, so strong and peaceful and prosperous that everyone respected it, blah, blah, blah."

"What happened to it?" asked Naruto, eagerly.

"It was utterly destroyed," replied Inoichi. "First infiltrated, sacked and then destroyed by seven shinobi from Kiri. I doubt I need to spell out who. But enough of this, the Swordsmen are broken and disbanded. A thing of the past from a tragic time long since passed. Reminiscing like that is pointless and Iruka should have known better than to tell that tale. As great as the Swordsmen were, they were composed of human. And like everything human, it begins and it ends. There's almost nothing left of the Swordsmen so there's no point dwelling on it."

"Right," said Sakura, her voice suddenly grim. "Kakashi-sensei helped with that."

"They don't seem that tough," Ino persisted. "I mean, Naruto, you killed Pein! Some old sword guy shouldn't give you any trouble."

Naruto stayed silent. It had been so fast, he couldn't have truly been blamed for what had happened. First he had been talking to Nagato then he had found himself flat on his back. The next thing he knew, he was being embraced by the Rookie Nine as he had stumbled back to Konoha. If they had even given him one moment of respite to compose himself, he would have told them. But instead their creativity had already gotten the better of them.

By the time anyone was truly wiling to listen to Naruto, the celebratory moment had passed and the grieving began. By then, with the tears running like overflowed rivers everyday, Naruto couldn't bring himself to tell everyone that he had not killed the one who caused all this. It was all lies now.

Naruto still thought bitterly on it. As soon as they saw him stumbling out of the forest, they just immediately assumed and jumped to the conclusion that he had finished Pein off once and for all. He had made no claim to the deed. In fact he was sickened by how effortlessly people latched onto such a fantasy.

"_A cycle of hatred"_

Naruto shook his head. Nagato had been wrong. This wouldn't happen to the people of Konoha. He wouldn't allow it so. But already, the hints were there. He thought of Nagato and of Konan. When he had come to, the pair was gone. Naruto didn't know where they were. But he was confident of one thing.

He would never see them again.

"I wish you could've brought the body back though," Ino continued. "I wish I could have seen the true face of the bastard that killed so many villagers."

"_We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice."_

Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "He should have been brought back alive so we could've done it ourselves. That bastard….he'd get no mercy. None."

"Stop!" declared Naruto loudly. He had stayed firmly in place and the two Inoichis and Sakura turned around, surprised. "Stop with this crap! Isn't it enough that he's gone? He's not coming back all right? What's the point in continuing to hate him? Stop obsessing over pain! It's a disease! It's a poison! It's a cur-"

Naruto caught his tongue as his eyes widened silently. Ino leapt in front of Naruto, suddenly, her fist clenched tightly and her face sporting anger and confusion.

"And you think what he did was right?" challenged Ino, testily. "You think me wanting to kill him isn't more justified than him _massacring_ my village? _Your_ village?"

"_If revenge is called justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge."_

"Of course I don't think it was right!" yelled Naruto, angrily. "But what you're doing isn't any better! The whole problem starts with thoughts like that! It's just like he said."

"You _talked_ to him?" Sakura now turned, shocked. "You actually spoke with him? What were the final words of a monster?"

"I didn't kill him!" Naruto finally exclaimed.

The confession brought about a wave of silence. One which ended quickly.

"You didn't kill him," repeated Ino, quietly. "Meaning that bastard who destroyed most of Konoha is still out there? And you let him get away?"

The quiet escalated into a climactic scream as the furious blonde smashed her fist as hard as she could at Naruto. His balance, still lacking, through him off and Naruto tumbled to the ground with a fresh bruise.

"Ino!" snapped her father, sternly. "That's enough."

Ino stared down at Naruto, her fist still trembling.

"He killed Shizune right in front of my eyes," whispered Ino, in a musk of loathing and disgust. "He took the life of one of my friends, someone who loved you Naruto and was only at Konoha because she trusted you enough for you to bring her here! And now she's gone, murdered, and you just act like it's all fine to let that pass? You let go of the man who killed your master? Your sensei? Your friends? What about Hinata? Are you okay with-"

"Shut up!" roared Naruto, suddenly. His stomach throbbed uncontrollably. Were it not for the frozen seal, he was convinced his pupils would show hints of red at the moment.

"Naruto," Sakura spoke quietly.

"_At least Sakura-chan will understand,_" Naruto internally sighed.

"Then…Kakashi-sensei, Hinata, Shizune…they all died for nothing?" Sakura asked, lip quivering. "All my friends, in the end it was all for nothing?"

Naruto felt himself sink. He wished for his whole body to sink into the ground and never reemerge with the stare Sakura was giving him. She wasn't angry or saddened. Naruto looked at her and saw nothing but disappointment – disappointment that she had ever put faith in him, disappointment over hopes that he was Konoha's champion, disappointment that somewhere along the way, he had lost himself.

Naruto would have rather endured another chakra enhanced punch. He saw Inoichi staring at him over Ino's shoulder. He was in deep thought, no doubt trying to understand Naruto's motivation behind this.

Naruto screamed inside, frustrated. No one them understood. None of them saw clearly enough to see why he did it. If he had killed Nagato, Konan would have killed him. If Konan killed him, someone close to Naruto would have killed her. If someone killed Konan, someone else close to Konan would have killed them. It was a trap, carefully laid out and expertly designed to tragedy and bloodshed. Why couldn't they see this? Were they blind?

"We should…keep moving," Inoichi finally spoke. "Come on, let's move."

He felt terribly alone at the moment – as if he was the only man on earth, or the only clear-headed one at that. Isolated, segregated, lonely…these feelings brought back an inconvenient past he would rather have kept suppressed.

They began walking. Naruto was slow to get up, not from the blow but from the fall. He hadn't realize until now how much harder the fall was than the blow.

"_Do you hate me now?"_


	5. Chapter 5

_"Even a stupid, foolish kid will grow up when he learns what pain is."_

Naruto shook his head, frustratedly. He had somewhat gotten used to his physical handicap. It was the mental handicap that surrounded everyone else that he could not get used to. He couldn't stand the fact that anyway he tried to explain it to Sakura, she would not see it.

"_I've_ experienced pain," Naruto said to himself. "_I've_ grown up. But now everyone else has become children!"

Even Inoichi could not fully understand though he did his best to try. It was simply…frustrating. It was so clear to Naruto. How could others not grasp it?

"_People are stupid."_

Naruto absentmindedly nodded his head in agreement. Naruto then pondered whether the god-complex that Nagato had adopted had been spawned not from an elitist mentality, but from the frustration towards the ignorance of others. Naruto had spent but a few days and already he was ready to pop.

"Why?" Naruto asked himself. "Why is everyone so blind?"

_"We can't help but know that people can never understand each other."_

Naruto gazed once again as he did always, at the back of Ino's head, a ball of gold, bobbing up and down, up and down. Some days, Naruto convinced himself that if he stared long or hard enough, he'd eventually see the Yamanaka's thoughts and be able to understand what was going through her head. Though it was more likely that she'd do that to him in all honesty.

Ino turned around, only to catch Naruto's eye. They both looked away, huffing in indignation.

"Blond idiot," they both thought.

"Can we move faster?" demanded Sakura.

Naruto saw Sakura, clearly anxious over the fate of her master. He thoughts drifted back to Ero-sennin. Why had he never been anxious when Ero-sennin was away? After all, Tsunade-baachan was always in the village. But his master was almost always abroad. Naruto hadn't even been the slightest bit nervous when he had Ero-sennin parted with him. When was that again?

"I don't even remember the last moment I had with him," Naruto spoke softly with a sad dawning.

They were moving at fast speeds now. Leaping from tree to tree as if they had transcended the ground and were halfway to flight. Naruto was managing instinctively. His mind however drifted back to thoughts of his master. Why hadn't he been as worried as Sakura was now?

Naruto smiled slightly. "_Because before then, I thought Ero-sennin was invincible. I was never concerned over his safety because I didn't think there was anyone who could ever threaten it."_

Naruto grinned fondly as he remembered his late master. He was a pervert with no equal. And yet, he somehow made the all the Hokage seem small. Perhaps it was his towering height. Or it could have been his eccentric personality. To Naruto, though he knew that what separated Ero-sennin from the rest was simple.

"_Never give up_."

He vaguely remembered a conversation he had had with Shikamaru. The Nara heir apparent was lazily explaining Hanzo the Salamander and his battle with what would be the Legendary Sannin. Naruto lost interest within moments. It was not a matter of losing interest in his master, however. No, it was the mere fact that no gallant tale, no heroic poem would compare to Naruto's views of his Ero-sennin.

A failed writer. A super-pervert. The man who named him, trained him and took Naruto as his own. And most of all, the Gutsiest Ninja of all time. Jiraiya had other accolades – many others. However, in the eyes of the student, the super-pervert could have conquered the world and the feat would still fall short.

"_A real ninja is one who endures no matter what gets thrown at him."_

And it had, in Naruto's eyes. The world, it seems, was against the young Jinchuuriki. But he had no time for pity, no room for hesitation. If the world was going against him, Naruto Uzumaki would just have to beat the world. With the words of his mentor ringing like bells through his head, those actions seemed closer to reality than ever before.

They had stopped. Inoichi dropped his bag and sunk to the ground, back against a tree trunk. He looked tired. Naruto surmised that the elder Yamanaka would have rather been living his later years in a comfortable home with the memories of shinobi service. But that was no longer a possibility. With such losses, there were not enough youth, and strong ones at that to allow the elder such fortune.

Ino and Sakura began eating. Ino looked furious as she did. Naruto sat alone and pondered what, if anything could be done. Like all Yamanaka, Ino's mind was naturally sharp. But after the turmoil of recent events, it had been dulled with the pain of loss, suffering and unreasonable expectations leading to a sense of betrayal. But he couldn't give up. He believed in what his master believed in. He didn't have a formula for wiping hatred from the world. But he did know at this moment, how to wipe hatred away from one person at least.

"Ino," Naruto called, quietly.

She didn't turn to face him or acknowledge him, but Naruto could tell she was listening.

"Why can't you forgive him?"

Ino gritted her teeth and balled her fists tightly. She whipped around, her hair flying.

"Because he needs to pay!" snapped Ino. "After all that happened to Konoha, to my friends, I could at least take comfort in the fact that the one who did this was punished! He had to be held responsible! He had to pay! And with all the death he caused, no payment would be good enough besides death! And even then, the hole wouldn't be filled, but at least I would have known that the monster didn't get away with it!"

Naruto scrambled for a retort, for some way to point out the logical flaw in what she said. But there was none. Every bit of what the Yamanaka said was justified in all circles of thought.

"Killing him won't erase what he did," Naruto responded. "And I guarantee you, he will never do something like that again."

"That's not good enough!" yelled Ino. "I care about what he did, not what he would do! In any case, killing him solves for both! I need some feeling that this wasn't for nothing!"

Naruto began to lose his cool. "So you want to kill to make yourself feel better!"

"Of course I do!" she shouted, exasperatedly.

"Then you're exactly like he was!" Naruto sighed. "Don't you see what's going on? Someone fueled his reason for killing just like he fueled yours and you'll fuel someone else's! Fine! Maybe it's not fair! Maybe it's not fair that he's alive. But…it's not right to let this cycle continue! Someone has to have the strength to say enough is enough! Someone has to bear the pain instead of passing it on to someone else! We can be those people! We can stop this chain here and now!"

"Why?" demanded Sakura. "Why do we have to be the ones to suffer? Why us?"

"Because we are Konoha shinobi!" spoke Inoichi. "We are ninja of Konohagakure. We are stronger than the rest. We can bear what others can't. We can endure. Because…because…"

"Because we have the Will of Fire!" Naruto grinned.

_"We can't stay kids forever."_

OOO

"Do you understand?"

"No."

"What?"

"So the Raikage orders a Kage summit and as a result Konoha and Iwa agree to cease hostilities over Kusa."

"Yes."

"Then what on earth are we doing here?" Agitation and frustration were plentiful.

"Everything the Hokage-sama does is in the interest and security of Kono-"

"Damn it, listen! He's playing a very dangerous game. What he's doing could spark another war! Konoha doesn't have the strength to fight Iwa, Ame and Kiri all at once!"

"Iwa is ruled by a decrepit old man that would make the Sandaime Hokage seem young. Ame is leaderless and Kiri as always is one step away from falling back into chaos. And do not underestimate the resourcefulness of the Hokage-sama. If he wishes it, it will be done, exactly as he predicts it to be."

"Just how long do you think is can go on?" was the exclamation. "Danzo can't play kingmaker!"

"He has decided he can and so he will," was the stern reply. "Orders are orders, Tenzo. And it is expected of you to follow them. Do not fail."

OOO

"I raised you as my own. Some of you, I stole from the clutches of death. Others I rescued from a life of loneliness. At least that's what I thought. Had I known that in reality I had merely given you more opportunities to revel in death and more moments to make the loneliness worse especially while surrounded by people, I would have left you all. I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I spent many years, in solitude, in wilderness in penance. But penance never reached me. Because everywhere I went, I could not escape you, nor the horrifying atrocities you committed and commit still. You were all my responsibility. And I made you what you were. I thought I could save you. I thought I could save this land. In the end, it burnt to ash with a memory so painful it was wiped from every history in record. I didn't mean to. But that does not absolve me of responsibility. I created the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. And it is my duty to end it."

"This is why, Kisame, Katsurou, Ichiki I will never stop hunting you. For one who created monsters, it is the teacher's responsibility to put them down."

OOO

A warm mist surrounded the office. Behind the desk, a beautiful lady, red of hair, bathed in it, lounging back. Both restless and at peace, she looked over the report again. Her assistant as called in.

"Any good news?" the lady asked hopefully.

"None from the north, milady," replied the assistant, somberly. "We even penetrated as far as the Lightning bay but no positive reports have been yielded."

The beautiful lady sighed deeply and inhaled the warm mist, calming her. "Oh well," she replied in monotone. "We'll keep looking."

"Forgive me milady, perhaps it is time to give up," pleaded the loyal assistant. "We've scoured almost every island past the east bank already."

"Then perhaps we must go further."

"Further?" exclaimed her assistant. "But milady! Your search has already expanded Kiri's borders past any in history! The other Great Nations will not take kindly if we venture into the mainland."

The mist turned cold, as if bending to the lady's will. The atmosphere felt icy even. And her character reflected the coldness of ice perfectly. "I will not give up," she snapped. "I must find them! Even one! I must correct the lasting effects of the Bloodline Purges!"

"We've already recovered many lost clans. Is this really about locating and restoring the lost clans' of Kiri?" asked the assistant. "Or is it about recovering your own clan?"

There was no response.

The assistant sighed. "Very well, milady. Please don't get your hopes up, but there has been word from the Land of Waves. There are definite reports of at least one individual with your traits. And the local word whispers of a small gathering of men and women of similar faculty."

"I must head there," concluded the lady, standing up, making preparations. "It is not far from the Kage summit location. I can examine what I need to and be off to quell the Raikage's blundering ignorance."

"But milady! This might not be wise! There are sightings of Katsurou Kaguya nearby!"

The lady tightened her sash. "All the better," she whispered, menacingly. "Let him come. He's welcome to try and assassinate another Mizukage. And I look forward to ending that vermin's life once and for all."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: As this is a fan fiction, I will take liberties with the established canon of the Naruto universe's history as I see it necessary. Such as changing much of the past of Kirigakure and Uzugakure. Please read and review. Thanks.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: The devil is in the details. I've thought out the entire plot of this narrative and all that I've written been written to a purpose. Read closely and enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Rain.<p>

For a country and village whose namesake was tied to this downpour, Shikamaru found the weather surprisingly calm. Clouds had parted for a clear blue crisp sky. The sun shined brightly. The 40 or so men at his back were calmed by the warm weather and frightened by the enhanced exposure it provided. Birds chirped. Toads croaked. And the fighting men looked deep inside themselves to find a reason for what they were about to do.

"What a calm day to start a war," murmured Shikamaru, begrudgingly.

The small group of Konoha shinobi sat on the precipice of Konoha's northern border. Shikamaru gazed at the countryside before him. It was but the very edges of Rain Country but already, the flat terrain and lack of trees would be disadvantageous to them. The flatlands would soon turn to wetlands. There, in the interior of the country, is where Shikamaru expected the most trouble. Ame maintained several fortresses around the great lake where Amegakure presided. Breaking through the series of fortresses would be difficult, doubly so when fighting in unfamiliar territory. But Shikamaru knew they had a long way to go before the reached there.

Right now, their opponents were cows, farmers and perhaps a small shinobi guard detachment. Shikamaru sighed. For a moment, he had truly wished that they were at the edges of Amegakure right now. Ending this war quickly was not even of main concern to the Nara.

The shadow user feared his own resolve against the cows and the farmers.

Before the daunting spires of Amegakure, Shikamaru was certain he'd be spurred to action regardless of how mistaken he believed his orders to be. But against undefended villagers and a peaceful countryside, the new Jonin struggled to find the slightest justification. And he felt those at his back do similar. The men he had been granted were weary, heavyhearted and still in anguish. They'd rather be tending to their fallen beloved and their razed village than be starting another conquest.

The appeal to glory fell short to those whose hearts longed not for blood but for peace. Perhaps it wasn't world peace or even territorial peace. But at the very least it was peace of mind. And all knew this could not be achieved whilst mercilessly slaughtering those who had no say in attacking them.

_"What am I doing here?"_ Shikamaru screamed in his head.

FLASHBACK

"This is a great honor, both for you as a rising shinobi and the clan," said the Shikaku Nara. "Circumstances be damned. For such a young and new Jonin to be leading a military campaign is no small accomplishment. The Hokage has recognized your merits, Shikamaru and through them, you have made the clan strong."

From his experience with chess, the young Nara man could detect a feint quite easily. Besides his experienced faculty, the hollow voice and forced smile of his father gave hint to the insincerity of the speech.

"Remember, son," Shikaku confided. "Men's lives depend on your decisions henceforth with greater magnitude and numbers than you have yet faced. I am confident in your abilities, Shikamaru. But stay wary. We know little about the workings and overall standing of Rain Country and its peoples. Jiraiya-sama was able to infiltrate the capital but he was a Sannin and we are but small men to such title. You cannot afford to underestimate a land which produced the likes of Hanzo the Salamander and this Pein fellow."

"This is bullshit," muttered Shikamaru.

The elder Nara placed down his tea and sighed deeply.

"We place our faith and loyalty in the Hoka-"

"It's bullshit!" Shikamaru cried loudly. "We're retaliating against a non-existent enemy! Ame isn't the one who attacked us. It was Pein! Only a fool would believe that Pein was serving the interests of Ame! There's no reason for us to be there!"

"The world is full of fools," murmured Shikaku. "Ame may only be our enemy at first glance, but the world prides itself on surmising conclusions from first glances. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Ame attacked Konoha and we are striking back. We must appear to be strong and able."

"But that's not true!" exclaimed Shikamaru, pounding his fists on the table. The vacant chessboard fell over, the pieces tumbling to the floor. "To hell with what the world thinks of us! We're attacking innocent people! And for what? So the other Nations won't think less of us? What about the people who will hate us because of it? What about the men and women I'm pulling from their already damaged families to fight a war that doesn't need fighting? What about my village which I am forsaking to fight a foreign battle when I should be supporting my home and friends?"

The scarred face of the Nara clan leader broke into an expression of reluctance. "Shikamaru, I know that this decision is troubling to you. And believe me, I did all I could to try and persuade Danzo from this course of action but it has been made. Say what you will about its rationality but the Hokage has to look at the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture," repeated Shikamaru hollowly. "So now while my men and I wallow in massacre, Danzo will parade in victory and conquest. There is no scenario in chess for when a thirty party enters the battle and attacks you. But I know at least that the last thing to do is to keep fighting against an army that never attacked you!"

Shikaku stood up. "If you're so intent on making chess analogies, I will give you one. Orders are orders. And the pieces on the board do not disobey, rebel or mutiny."

"Danzo is not the king!" shouted Shikamaru.

"But he is the player!" boomed Shikaku. "When the player wills, the pieces move, absent thought of disobedience. Danzo has ordered you to lead the campaign into Ame. And that is it."

Shikamaru stood up angrily. He turned and made for the door, his mind still angered and restless. Hand on the doorframe, he looked back to his father once more.

"I've followed orders I disagreed with before," Shikamaru said. "I've done things ordered by my superiors that I otherwise wouldn't have. I have even killed under orders. But I've never had to condemn myself under orders."

FLASHBACK ENDS

Hand absent of thought, Shikamaru gave the order to attack. His mind was still numb, his thoughts scrambled and undecided.

Shikamaru spoke to himself. "Orders are orders. War is war."

With a single gesture, Shikamaru knew himself to be damned. Feeling hollow inside, Shikamaru turned to battle.

It was his move.

OOO

Kiba Inuzuka felt as if he understood, at least in part, what Naruto and Sakura experienced when Sasuke had defected. In a strange way, his own position was both better and worse than that of the former Team 7. The first time he and Shino had met alone after the invasion, he had nearly broken into tears. He even saw Shino, fearful that his stoic personality might break, turn away and hide what they both felt.

His vocabulary fell short when trying to describe what he felt as it dawned on him that his teammate Hinata Hyuuga was dead. Their team was now broken, forever. Never to be as it was, never to become whole once more.

Hinata had died a hero. But she had still died. Unlike the others, Kiba and Shino had advantageous insight into her motivations. In a way, it gave them greater clarity, understanding and closure on the matter. On the other hand the tragedy of the situation was all to quickly laid upon them.

Kiba often thought maybe it would have been better if Hinata had died by some freak accident rather than out of love for a man who remained ignorant of her desires until the end.

Akamaru panted beneath him, but Kiba stayed deep in thought. When compared to Sasuke, Kiba still didn't know what to make of all this. He was still alive. That had always been the reason for Naruto and Sakura's unrelenting pursuit. There was the chance that Team 7 could be reformed. But while Hinata had died a hero, Sasuke had continued living a villain. Which was worse, Kiba pondered. As much as he hated to admit it, even he believed that there was some small part of Sasuke that could be redeemed.

Akamaru, tired of the stillness, shook his owner off of mount and took off, dragging some much needed timber to a nearby construction site. Kiba swore as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Off your back Kiba," chided Tenten. "We still got work to do."

Choji nodded his head vigorously. "Our friends are working hard outside the village. Those of us within need to work doubly hard."

Kiba needed no Yamanaka bloodline limit to detect Choji's loneliness. One third of the trio was off fighting a war. The another was trying to prevent one. With his sensei dead and both his teammates off on separate missions, it was at the very least warranted.

"Yeah whatever," sighed Kiba, piling another heavy load of timber on his shoulder. "We're stuck here working while _Danzo_ sips his tea and heads off to some big meeting."

"He may be a person of less than transparent intent, but he is the Rokudaime Hokage," reminded Rock Lee. "Though his youth has unfortunately left him…"

"It's not _just_ some big meeting, Kiba," corrected Shino. "It is the first assembly of all 5 Kage in history. There should be no doubt, the outcome of this summit will have huge political ramifications."

"Huh? I thought the summit was to discuss the Akatsuki," Tenten asked.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," replied the Aburame shinobi. "Or so says my father. He says the 5 Kage will use the summit as an excuse to discuss and restructure the political order of the shinobi world. Konoha's position amongst the world order is threatened. Iwa is not the only one that wants this. As we have always held the strategic position of the center nation, most trade flows through our lands. Kumo, with all their military strength has always been jealous of this. Meanwhile, Iwa as always is doing what they can to put pressure on us, and Kiri is of course, the growing monster in the east that needs to be dealt with. And even Suna, with their treaty with Konoha, has motivations to better their position amongst the 5 nations and we're the ones standing in their way."

"I'm still surprised that the Hokage-sama chose Hiashi Hyuuga over Shikamaru's dad as his other retainer," spoke Choji amongst the crackle of the snacks he feasted upon.

"At the summit, the Hokage-sama doesn't need a wise man. He needs a strong man, and one whose name carries considerable weight" Shino stated. "Hiashi Hyuuga was the obvious choice, especially with so many skilled Konoha ninja now deployed in the field. And plus, the presence of the Hyuuga clan leader should prevent the Raikage from getting out of line."

"I'm surprised Danzo was even able to convince him," Kiba muttered. "He must either respect Danzo a lot. Not even his own clansmen were able to bring him out of mourning. Danzo somehow convinced the Hyuuga both to stay in Konoha and be present in that meeting. Either way, all I know is that they're out in the field and we're stuck here."

"Well while you're here, why don't you make yourself useful!" barked Tenten, throwing another load of lumber upon the Inuzuka's shoulders.

The work was hard. The muscles ached. The village walls were no sooner raised than confined them. But they would continue to the sounds of the forest. A tree had been burnt in the heart of the woods. They would see in born anew.

OOO

"Oh my!" gasped Ino softly. "Now there's a sight."

Waves crashed into stone pillars. Birds cawed over high archways and the stretch of stone cut through misty waters towards the ends of the earth. The smoothed rocky slabs had carved a path from this world seemingly to the next with undaunted pride. Its endearing presence so greatly beheld with the falling sun and a testimony to the might of man, stood tall before the company of four.

Naruto was instantly filled with a sense of pride. A warm feeling festered in his stomach, one that assured him in no small fashion he had left his mark on this world forever. Perhaps it was his young age or maybe the construction that followed his departure, but the scene looked far grander and mightier than when he had last seen in 4 years ago.

"The Great Naruto Bridge," spoke Sakura in awe. "To think, Naruto, we were small the last time we were here, but now, the bridge seems larger than ever."

Naruto saw Inoichi Yamanaka in deep thought. His face was grim and he shook his head slightly. "Not good," the mind-reader muttered. "The bridge is far wider than what the official report stated…with the width of this bridge, they could march thousands into the mainland very quickly. Come! Let's see what awaits us on the other side of this mist and across this monument of stone."

They walked, silently and in awe. The mist grew thicker and the shinobi within it, tenser. Eerily reminiscent, the company pressed forward. Knowing that a man wielding a giant blade would not appear from the mist did not make the atmosphere any less uneasy. Naruto lagged behind the others, still taking in the awe that such a structure he thought impossibly man made had been named after himself.

Under slow pace, he found himself considerably behind the others. The mist had consumed them. He looked around and saw white. It reminded him of something. The thought was lost as the beast in his belly toiled in anger. There was so much mist, so much fog.

He had lost his way.

Naruto didn't know where he was. And he didn't know where to go.

Everywhere, white. Everywhere, wet and cold. Everywhere he turned, he was headed in the same direction. Every step forward, backwards, to the side and to the sky, led to the same whiteness. Lost in damp clouds set upon far before his arrival, Naruto paused for a moment, wondering if it really mattered now, which direction to take when all led to the same whiteness.

"Naruto!" called a voice. He it felt strangely familiar, strangely cold and warm.

It guided him. He followed its auditory trail and saw the worried visage of his pink-haired teammate. He found his comrades once more and they set forward. Time seemed to both hold still and churn furiously ahead. They moved at a quick pace across the acres of water, stone and mist. And yet, Naruto was being pushed back to pastimes.

"Scaredy-cat!" the taunt whispered

"Why?"

"That man."

But Naruto knew now that it wasn't just the man. Had Itachi led Sasuke here to the edge of oblivion? Had Itachi led his younger brother down a hole too deep to climb back up? Had that hole been there all along?

His muscles were tired. He just now realized this. They must have been at this furious pace for a while. The mist began to thin and so to did his nostalgia. Those memories belonged in the past. Naruto would leave them there and forge a new one.

Inoichi stopped abruptly and held out his hand for those following him to take up position. Alarmed, the company halted. Naruto sensed something. He scanned the thinning mist. Quicker than anything he had seen, Naruto had to reel back his head in the last second to avoid being impaled by a thin extending piece of ice. The mist parted violently and immediately. Naruto followed the ice back to an outstretched palm.

The hand belonged to a fair lady, red of hair donning the hat of a Shadow.

"This land," spoke the Mizukage, "is under _my_ domain."


	7. Chapter 7

Anko winced. Her restraints dug deep into her wrists, drawing blood and breaking open wounds that had just begun to heal. She gritted her teeth and pulled harder and harder. However she could not be freed.

She was chained to a bed. And not in a good way.

"For all his quality, Orochimaru did often lax when teaching his students proper manners," scolded a voice from afar. "You shouldn't make such a racket Anko-chan. After all, were I a lesser man, just think of all I could've done to you by now."

"I have nothing to say to you," she muttered, low register and absent fire.

"You know," said the voice, coming closer. "After all these weeks, we still can't seem to have a civilized conversation can we?"

"Unbind me and I'll show you a civilized debate," snarled Anko.

"We tried that, remember? I still have a bite mark as a reminder. No, I think your constraints are rather necessary. Anyhow, it's time to run more tests."

"No!" she screamed.

She shuddered and curled up the best she could with her constraints weighting her down. Her body shivered and shook in horrid anticipation.

"Just what to you get out of this, Kabuto?" she whispered. "Do you get some sick pleasure from all this?"

"My poor Anko-chan," remarked the spectacled shinobi. "I'm sorry that these tests bring you so much pain. But just remember, they serve a higher purpose."

The screams were loud and echoed down the empty halls. They were bloodcurdling, filled with anguish and fear. No one would have suspected it to be from the Snake Mistress. But in the end, all the emptiness of this lair could barely contain the agonizing cries.

After almost half an hour, she collapsed to the floor. She heard the click as her restraints were placed back over her limbs. Her very bones ached. Sweat and blood poured from her. The once fearless Snake Mistress had been broken

"Well," he noted cheerfully, "we made some good progress, today, I think. I appreciate your help Anko-chan."

In another life, she would have glared, spat or even beat the snide expression from Kabuto's face. But now, chained in this dark lair with pain coursing through her body, she hadn't even the strength to react. She tried to hold back the tears, but it became harder each time.

"I'll kill you, Kabuto," she uttered. "I swear I will kill you."

Kabuto paused momentarily, adjusting his glasses. "Thanks to you, Anko-chan, death is barely an inconvenience now. Get some rest. I'll be back soon."

OOO

_Emergency report: Kusagakure's High Master has been killed. An emergency nomination is underway. I will report again as the situation develops._

Cringing, Shikaku, the head of the Nara clan, let the bird go and tossed the note to the elder advisors. The messages had been nothing but bad news this morning. Just after sunrise, one of their fastest birds had returned with a message from the Ame frontlines. Shikamaru reported that they would need at least another 50 shinobi to break through the impending Ame fortresses that stood between them and the capital. The young Jonin Nara had also put in a request for an ANBU team. Now with even less shinobi to guard Konoha, this new news about Kusagakure was hardly welcome.

"This isn't good," he muttered. "There's enough tension over Kusagkure without throwing in a dead leader into the mix. We need to send word to the Hokage. He needs to know this. Send a messenger bird to find his route towards the summit!"

"Wait, Shikaku," Homura gestured.

He pointed to another bird, flying fast towards them. Shikaku grabbed it from the air, releasing its talon from the wrappings of paper.

_Emergency report: elder Tora has been selected as the new High Master of Kusagkure. He has pledged Kusa's support behind Konoha._

"Danzo," growled Shikaku, lowly. "You didn't…"

"Another bird!" cried Koharu. "It's not from this land!"

In furious speed, the old Nara read the message. He turned to the elders.

"The Third Tsuchikage has just demanded an audience with the Hokage-sama," Shikaku relayed slowly. "He says if Danzo refuses to meet with him before the summit, it is tantamount to a declaration of war. Iwa is threatening invasion. Inform the Hokage at once! Send our fastest! We cannot fight Iwa! Make sure Danzo knows! Make sure!"

The bird was released, it flew with the mightiest of speeds and as Shikaku watched its feathered form disappear, the uneasiness did not part. One thought clutched the attention of his mind with an iron grip. And as much as he wanted to dismiss it, he knew he couldn't.

A war lurked just out of view. And it was beginning to show its face.

OOO

"Well, well," laughed Kisame with a wide grin. "I can honestly say, I never expected to see you here. How odd, all these years later, that we'd don the same garb once more. But don't be worried, my bony friend. You are in stranger company now! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Kisame," spoke Katsurou Kaguya. "You've changed."

The Samehada wielder spread his grin wider. "Changed? Oh, no. I just don't have to hide who I am anymore. I know who I am. But you on the other hand, you haven't changed a bit."

The pair of swordsmen walked down the wide corridor. Samehada felt warm, perhaps enjoying the company of a fellow blade wielder.

"You changed blades, I see," commented Kaguya. "The Samehada, you call it. What was wrong with your old one?"

"It never suited me," snickered Kisame, darkly. "I needed something a bit more…monstrous. Our old master's the reason behind how I got this."

The Kaguya stopped walking. "You mean to say that…"

"Is it really so surprising?" chuckled Kisame. "The giant beast was simply thrashing about, as if it had lost its mind. All I did was go down there and take a little for myself. The Sanbi had plenty more where that came from."

"Then that explains your heightened chakra reserves," spoke Katusrou. "And your blade's self-aware…malice. And how did our master react?"

"He is strong, just as strong as he was years ago," sighed the shark man. "He won't rest until the remainder of the seven swordsmen are dead. I fear we're going to have to face him again, one day."

Katusrou threw his fist against the wall, leaving a sizeable mark in his wake. "I'll make sure I finish him off the next time we meet. Who amongst us are left?"

"Ichiku lingers somewhere in the east," said Kisame. "I'm sure you heard now that Zabuza went and got himself killed. And of course, _she's_ still around."

The swordsmen had entered a chasm of immeasurable size. Madara, Zetsu stood with the young Uchiha and his followers. Suigetsu noticeably gasped at the sight.

"Kaguya-sempai!" he exclaimed.

"Remember this boy?" laughed Kisame to his old teammate. "Look, he's even wielding Zabuza's blade now."

Katsurou stopped. "Does he know that his father-"

"Unlikely," responded Kisame, curtly. "And so long as it's not terribly inconvenient, I see no reason to break the promise I made to Ichiku years ago."

"Swordsmen!" called Madara. "We've been awaiting your company. Join us."

The Kiri ninja sat at the grand table. Madara, at the head, kept his eye closely focused on Sasuke.

"Sasuke," he spoke firmly. "It has undoubtedly occurred to you that crossing us is a remote possibility. I want to remind you that you'd be staring at the 4 walls of a jail cell or have been sent to the afterlife if I hadn't saved you that day. And before you think of betraying me, you'd best note that there are two of the Legendary Swordsmen of the Mist at my right. Real, functioning ones, not the half mad shell of a bladesman you met long ago."

Sasuke glared at the older Uchiha, baring his Sharingan to force. "Your point?"

"The debt you owe me has not been repaid," replied the stern Akatsuki leader. "Before you go gallivanting to slay Konoha, I have a task that needs doing. You and your Taka will see to it while I am away."

"Do you take me for a fool?" demanded Sasuke.

Kisame smirked darkly at the scene. Katsurou stayed stoic and silent as a proper Kaguya.

"I know you're going to this Kage summit," Sasuke stated, flatly. "And if you think I'm going to go off and do some errand for you when Danzo is exposed, you-"

"Do not forget who you speak to, boy," Madara said, darkly. "You are not strong enough to kill Danzo, let alone take on the 5 Kage. If you let it run astray, your arrogance will be the death of you. You will go to Earth Country. There are two very special people that have been eluding me for some time. I've heard word they might be somewhere in that land and I want them found. They have something very precious to me. Beware, they will likely be the strongest opponents you have ever faced. Do not take this lightly, Sasuke. This pair is dangerous. Engage them only if necessary. Your charge is to find their whereabouts and report to me. Do you understand?"

The two Uchiha stared a very long, tenuous glare. Each surmised the abilities and intent of the other. And with an iron will honed over the decades and decades, Madara knew himself the stronger. And Sasuke, wise to this, broke eye contact, standing up.

"Fine. But Danzo is mine, remember that."

Suigetsu stared at Sasuke then back at the mist Akatsuki. "Katsurou-sempai! Kisame-sempai! Where are you going?"

"They will come with me," said Madara.

"Remember your end of the deal, Madara," Katsurou spoke, a hint of threatening in his voice.

"I have not forgotten. Your treatment will come soon, I promise. We are heading to this Kage summit with the intent of imparting information only. But, if the plan changes, Katsurou, Kisame, we will kill all the Kage we can, save for dear Danzo. If fighting does break out, tend to the Mizukage. If I've learned anything, it's that Kiri ninja have an enormous propensity to surprise me. Now we must move. The world will know of my return either through the words of their Kage or their bodies I leave behind."

OOO

"To what purpose have 4 shinobi of the leaf come to Kiri shores?" the Mizukage asked, testily. "To what ends does Danzo send forth his dogs?"

Inoichi bowed low. "Mizukage-sama, we did not expect to see you here. Forgive what this may look like. This is not a military operation. It is a diplomatic appeal. If we could have but a little bit of your time to explain this."

The Mizukage paused, the tendril of ice returning to her palm, now lowered from Naruto's direction. "I will hear no explanation until I surmise your intent. A moment, and nothing more. In that time I will deem you friend or foe. If it should be foe, you will leave this island and if you intend to return, you'd best do so with an army behind your back for you will enter no other way."

"Why are the pretty ones always the bitches," Ino grumbled to Sakura.

The pink-haired teammate shrugged and the four of them followed the Mizukage who had turned heel. Naruto looked behind him. The parted mist had already reclaimed the bridge.

He would have to pass the white again to get back to the other side.

The vendors, parlors, shops and markets bustled with life. The women bowed deeply in respect to the passing Mizukage. The little children ran around, playing with the hem of her dress as she walked. Working men paused, star-struck by her beauty. As they passed, Naruto began to hear whispers and see people glancing at him, oddly.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" a gruff voice spoke.

Naruto turned left to the source. There he saw a strong man, greying haired, bearded man. He wore a peculiar hat and wore a grin on his face. His name was Tazuna

"It is you, Naruto!" he exclaimed.

The hesitance of the crowd disappeared and people began crowding. Little children ran up to him, tugging on his pants, ogling at him with their big adoring eyes. Merchants and lanky fishermen stepped in with outstretched hands, wanting to show their gratitude for their surplus and prosperity. He got separated from his companions and the Mizukage who was looking at Naruto with great interest now. Beneath the red locks of hair that obscured her eyes slightly, he thought he could see a hint of surprise from the Mizukage.

"_I didn't even do much…"_ Naruto thought to himself. _"And yet everyone's treating me like this."_

He laughed nervously at the crowd, scratching the back of his head. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to act. They surrounded him, loudly and with beaming faces. A women offered him a plate of dango. Another piled a pouch of herbs into Naruto's arms. Children crowded at his knees asking about the heroic deeds.

Annoyed that she had been pushed aside, Sakura rolled up her sleeve and made to deflate a growing ego. Inoichi stopped her.

"Let him have this, Sakura," spoke the older ninja. "He did more for Konoha than he ever did for this land yet the reception here is so monumental…He should have gotten it in Konoha, but the grief was too much…no, no, we _focused_ on the grief too much. Let him have this one moment. Let him be loved."

"Mizukage-sama!" Tazuna appealed to the red-haired beauty. "This boy saved our island. Trust me, he would bring us no harm."

"I-I didn't really do _that_ much," Naruto stammered. However the voices and crowd overpowered him and took no notice of his small objection. They wanted a hero. And Naruto felt warm at the moment. Perhaps he could oblige them a little longer.

The Mizukage made her way away from the crowd to a nearby teahouse. Tazuna grabbed Naruto and fought through the crowd to rejoin the company. Naruto felt slightly regretful that he had been pulled away so quickly. As odd and estranged it had been, he couldn't deny the warm sensation pooling in his stomach, courtesy of neither beast nor seal.

Unconsciously, Naruto trailed Tazuna with a bright smile on his face, content, even happy for the first time in a long time. These people were sincere in their gratitude even if wasn't sincerely warranted. They had moved past the hatred towards the Gato Company and the pain that the corporation had caused them. He lingered not in their minds. The malady of Gato had been swept from thought as the waves swept the coasts of this modest island. There was much pain in this land's past. But no hatred. The uncanny resilience to such a curse left Naruto with some sense of confidence, finally.

Had he made the right decision in choosing to refuse Pein's plan? The Land of Waves told him yes. If these fishermen folk and merchant population could find within themselves the capacity to forgo this deadly bane, surely there was hope for the rest of the world. Men drank and fished rather than slay and conquer. Women sowed and smiled rather than curse and swear. Children laughed and played rather than brood and suffer. For as Naruto looked at this island, he couldn't help wonder how such a young land had matured past the 5 Great Nations.

"So you are the hero who all the folk speak of," commented the Mizukage as Naruto and an eager Tazuna sat at her table. Her eyes traveled the length of Naruto's form, analyzing all she could. "I suppose, folk do tend to exaggerate."

"Mizukage-sama, I'm confident Naruto has come here with no mal-intent," Tazuna assured her.

Mizukage sipped on a scolding hot cup of tea. "If you are sure, Tazuna then I will heed your advice. Consider yourselves lucky, leaf nin. You are in the favor of the governor. For that reason and that reason alone, I will hear your case. Speak."

"Thank you for your time, milady. With respect, Mizukage-sama, we know that you have militarized this island," Inoichi spoke. "Now as a stateswomen, you should be able to understand the wariness of Konoha which now stands your neighbor village. We have come here to assess whether or not Kirigakure seeks to move against Konoha. We would like some manner of peaceful resolution."

Naruto's tea suddenly began losing its warmth. The oddities continued to perplex him, even ignoring the fact that a rod of ice commanded by the Mizukage had almost impaled him. This lady was strange and dangerous indeed. The atmosphere became icy cold, as was the Mizukage's freezing stare and demeanor.

"Is this Danzo's final taunt?" hissed the Mizukage. "Does that old man intend to mince words of peace with one breath and cast us under the sea with the other!"

"We're not the enemy!" Naruto exclaimed. "We've always been friends with the Island of Waves! We even helped them out once!"

"He's being modest," Sakura pressed. "We _saved_ the Island of Waves! Why else do you think the bridge is called the Great Naruto Bridge? It's named after Naruto, the one who saved the island!"

The Mizukage stared intently at the young blonde boy. She saw boy within his eyes. She saw a beast within those eyes. But most striking of all, she saw pain similar to her own, nestled behind the blue irises that held her gaze.

"Narut Uzumaki, hero of the waves," she spoke. "You may or may not be a friend to this land but what I do know for certain, you are not the Hokage. I do not believe you wish this island to come to harm or pain. But the game we Kage play is not one of idealistic soldiers. The game Danzo has forced upon me is one of power, suspicion and deceit. Were you Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, my response could differ. But as you are not, there is no man, speech or action that could persuade me otherwise."

The Mizukage lounged back, sighing deeply. "From what I gather, Danzo did not fully briefed you, did he? Very well. Though I wonder what use is a diplomat who knows only little of the situation, I will explain this to you as clearly as possible in these islands of mist."

The red-haired Kage stood up, looking out from the shop at the bustling markets. Naruto made to drink from his cup again only to discover that the tea had been frozen solid within his cup.

"I have stationed a garrison here not for the purpose of military preparation, but military _preemption_."

"That's not what it looks like!" Ino spoke up. "What it looks like is that there is a regiment of well-trained, well-equipped shinobi waiting on one side of the bridge-"

"A bridge I would have long since burnt down were it not held in such high esteem," snapped the Mizukage. "You mainland shinobi, always jumping to conclusions, always assuming that there is solid ground beneath your leaps of faith. But ninja of Kiri, we know better. We know that to act with blind conjecture is to be swept off your feet, sink and die. You think that through the Great Naruto Bridge we are a threat to you? It is the Great Naruto Bridge that makes Konoha such a threat to _us_! The garrison here is to protect against invasion, not initiate one itself!"

Inoichi's brow wrinkled in deep thought. The Mizukage donned her Kage ceremonial hat. "I have indulged you far beyond my responsibility to do so. I take my leave from your company and this island. Know this, Leaf nin, this island did not begin militarizing when it was annexed into Kiri. No, we only stationed the garrison here after receiving word that Danzo had been appointed Rokudaime Hokage. Before questioning foreign borders, perhaps it is better that you question the nature and past of your own leader. Farewell, Konoha shinobi and take this message back to your Hokage: If he intends to strike at the Land of Waves, he will find 200 strong ready and able to stop him."

The Mizukage exited the doorway frame, leaving stunned and thought-induced crowd of 4 in her wake. Her long red hair trailed behind her speeding form as she approached the Great Naruto Bridge once more. Two Kiri shinobi awaited her faithfully.

"Is everything alright, Mizukage-sama?" asked a tall shinobi with one eye hidden behind a patch.

"Just fine," she replied. "My unexpected guests proved of better temper than their host nation. In any case, Ao, during the summit, I want your eye fixed on Danzo the entire time. There's no telling what he might try. After what he did to Kirigakure, we can't afford for Danzo to sink his claws into the rest of the world as well. Be on your guard. Now we must move with haste. The 5 are awaiting."

With a wave of her hand, the mist of the bridge parted. As the mist shinobi took off down the long grand bridge, the mist returned, and swallowed them whole once more.

Back at the teahouse, Inoichi, concluded with his thoughts, stood up and cleared his throat. "Our mission is complete. We now know Kirigakure's intent, and from the Mizukage no less. We must return to Konoha. The more shinobi there are to protect her, the better. And there are things…things I must find out."

He walked out of the door, the sharp Yamanaka mind sifting through new facts in his mind. Tazuna followed Inoichi, trying to persuade him to stay but a few days. Slightly annoyed at the hastiness, Ino leapt up as well and followed her father outside, giving Naruto a small smile. They had finally understood one another.

But Naruto was about to do something that he feared no one would understand. The time was now. He would get no other opportunity. His heart pounded strongly within his chest. Sakura sighed and stood up as well. Naruto grabbed her wrist suddenly and forced her to sit down once more.

"Sakura, I need you to do something for me," Naruto spoke, low and quiet.

The seriousness in his tone put Sakura on edge. "O-okay," she replied unsure of what the blonde was up to.

"Sakura, there is something I must do…alone," explained the Jinchuuriki, cryptically. "And because of this task, I can't follow you back to Konoha…not yet."

"Naruto what are you talking about!" whispered Sakura, confused. "What do you mean you're not coming back? Inoichi won't allow it! Hell, _Danzo_ won't allow it!"

"I know," replied Naruto, quickly. "That's why I need your help."

He held both his hands in a familiar sign. A small cloud of smoke appeared beside him and through it, a fresh identical Naruto emerged.

"There's enough chakra in this clone to last a day, maybe more," explained Naruto. "I need you to feed it chakra to maintain the clone after that. Act naturally and none of them should catch on. It'll have to look like I'm still in Konoha."

"Are you crazy!" she demanded, frantically trying to keep her voice low while expressing incredulity. "What could be this important that you have to fool your friends and your village?"

Naruto paused. "I can't say. I just need you to trust me, Sakura. Please. I won't ever ask you of another favor so long as I live, but I need to ask this of you. I'm begging you Sakura."

Sakura began shaking her head wildly. "If this is so important, Naruto let me come with you. I can help."

"No," stated Naruto flatly. Sakura expressed momentarily a pained face. "You _are_ helping me, Sakura and in no small part. Please trust me, Please have faith in me."

Sakura, confused and conflicted glanced between Naruto and his clone. Her brow creased with concentration. "O-okay, Okay, fine. I don't know what you're planning Naruto, but you better have a good reason for this. I know Kakashi-sensei would have believed in you. How can I call myself his student if I don't do the same."

Naruto smiled. Sakura twisted her wrist so now she was latching onto Naruto's arm. "But Naruto," she pulled him close. "Promise me…promise me you'll come back. Promise me you won't leave me…alone."

Naruto hadn't until this point realized what he had been doing to Sakura. He was parting ways with her just as her teammate and sensei before him. When he left, she would be the lone party in Konoha, forced to bear the memories of Team 7.

Naruto smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll be back. You have my word. And you know my nindo."

Holding back watery eyes, Sakura smiled back before embracing Naruto a final time. She grabbed his clone by the arm and they left to the teashop with the Yamanakas none the wiser.

Naruto was left alone with his frozen tea. He didn't know where or how he'd start looking. But at least now he had the freedom to start.

OOO

_"Listen up Neji, Hinata is from the head family. You must live to protect her._

Neji closed his eyes and cursed under his breath, a trait he had recently picked up, both unbecoming of his character and the Hyuuga in general. But he found that the only way to even slightly evacuate his feelings of despair was to speak all manner of vulgarity he could muster. He had tried to curse himself, Konoha, the Akatsuki even God. But in the end, he was simply cursing to no one. He flew through the trees with two other shinobi at his back.

"I'm sorry father," whispered Neji, painfully and white-knuckled. "I failed. I couldn't save Hinata. I couldn't save the Hyuuga heiress."

Neji swore again, now louder and riddled with more undirected pain. The shinobi behind him took notice but said nothing. Neji had been acting like this for the entire mission. On their way back to Konoha, the two subordinates made note to tell Neji's former sensei about this.

"I had only one duty from the moment I was born!" cried Neji, silently. "Protect the head family! Protect Hinata! And I couldn't accomplish even that. In the end, I wasn't even around when that bastard ran her through and tossed her aside. Why? Why couldn't I have been there for her? Why did she have to die? It should have been me! I should have died, a branch member, not Hinata."

The delicacy and precision of chakra control that were becoming of the Hyuuga began to wane in Neji. Struck by overwhelming grief and regret, his chakra wavered. He had trouble composing himself to use chakra for traction on the soles of his shoes. Slipping from the branch and landing on the ground a bit more gracefully, Neji swore once more. His two subordinates were unsure what to do.

"We'll rest for a few minutes," Neji declared, staring off into the green distance.

He walked away, out of view from his worried subordinates. He wouldn't let them see him like this. He wouldn't let anyone see him like this. When he deemed the distance to be great enough and the natural foliage obscuring enough, Neji collapsed to his knees and let out a soft guttural cry. He smashed his forehead protector against a nearby tree trunk and struck it repeatedly and furiously with his fists. His hands and knuckles were bruised and bleeding. He didn't strike with the elegance or composure of a Hyuuga or their Gentle Fist. He frenetically smashed the trunk with the rage and indiscipline of a lost man. Rarely seen tears took to freedom and ran down the Jonin's face before he wiped them away with anger.

"_I chose death to protect Neji, my siblings and family, and our village."_

"You died to save the head family, father. No…you died to save your brother," whispered Neji. "And I…I couldn't even save Hinata. I couldn't even save my younger cousin! Damn it! God damn it!""

He raised his pain throbbing fists again, striking the tree once more, each time sending more blood flowing down his hands, each time denting the tree a little more, pushing the pain a little further. His chakra went wild. Randomly dispelling through his tenketsu points from the uncontrollable grief. His foot sunk as too much dispelled chakra had placed his left foot into a small crater. The tree splintered deep as Neji's left fist struck it with more chakra than intended. His Byakugan had unwillingly been activated. The tears obscured much and Neji was not interested in looking.

He raised his fist once more. Several fingers had already been broken. He stopped his fist before he struck the tree. His breathing calmed. His chakra stabilized because out of grief rose surprise.

The Byakugan had seen something.

The lump in Neji's throat subsided and his mind was spinning through what he was seeing. In black and white with precise picture and muted sound, Neji Hyuuga was witnessing the most bizarre of scenes. He saw an unmistakable Danzo. The old crippled man had his outstretched hand placed on the head of a kneeling ANBU ninja. The mask was not one Neji had seen before. He surmised these ANBU were of Danzo's personal Root division. Beside Danzo stood Ibiki Morino and Hiashi Hyuuga. Neji felt a pang of grief as he stared at his uncle who now claimed one less daughter as his own. But what surprised Neji, were the nearly 15 or so other ANBU shinobi lying on the ground, spent and exhausted. With the power of his Byakugan, the Jonin Hyuuga noticed all of them, including the last ninja, which had just recently collapsed, were extremely low on chakra. But Danzo, he had more chakra within him than even Naruto did. With the precision of the Byakugan, Neji saw the chakra was being stored in his forehead.

Neji was taken aback. "That's almost like…"

"Neji!" spoke a voice which startled the Jonin and caused him to deactivate his Byakugan and spin round. "Should we keep moving now?"

Neji abandoned his previous espionage and shook it off. If Hiashi was involved, Neji was sure he had nothing to worry about. He nodded to his subordinates and they took off once more, both noticing the blood on their Jonin leader's hands.

Near a mile away, Danzo dropped his hand to his side. His loyal men, barely with enough strength to sit up, were utterly spent.

"Are you sure you had to go this far Hokage-sama?" Ibiki asked.

"I cannot compress chakra as densely as Tsunade could," replied Danzo. "But luckily, my men loyally provided enough for me to make up for that weakness. We're meeting with some of the strongest shinobi in the world. I must be prepared for anything."

A messenger bird announced its presence with a tweet and a sharp dive. Danzo snatched it from the sky and released the message at its talon. He read it with his one eye. His expression was indiscernible behind his much-bandaged face. He let the note slip from his fingers and fall to the floor.

"It appears," announced the Rokudaime Hokage, "that we are going to be making a stop along the way. Come. Let's have a little chat with the Tsuchikage."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Some have messaged me complaining that there aren't enough battles in this story. To that, I must explain that battles, even in Naruto, are only as good as the story they help progress. Battles are only tools to further the narrative. They are not the narrative itself.** **And in any case, I doubt I'd get away with writing a Naruto story with no battles…**

**ALL reviews are welcome so I encourage you to write them and help better this story. Thanks and please enjoy.**

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><p>An odd scene it was. Naruto, in the empty teahouse at his request, held his cup of frozen tea in one hand, massaging his stomach with the other. In his company was a very anxious frog.<p>

"We don't know what is waiting for us in Uzugakure," Gerotora noted. "We don't know if there is some lasting brilliance of that folk that could spell doom to trespassers like ourselves. It would have been better to have the girl along with us. Why did you send her away? She could have helped."

"I know," Naruto responded quietly. "She'd help a lot. Sakura would probably have come with me without a second thought if I'd asked her to. But I couldn't ask her…for her sake, not for mine.

He saw his own green reflection through the frozen cup of tea. He liked to imagine that his reflection was a different Naruto, one who went through different trials and different experiences. He liked to imagine that the Naruto staring back at him through the cup of tea still had a father, a master and a sensei. Naruto hoped that his reflection would appreciate the three of them. He hoped his reflection would hold onto his mentors and cherish them while they were still there. But in the end, Naruto knew it was a pointless fantasy. There was only one Naruto. And that Naruto was one who had no father, master or sensei any longer.

"Weak as she may be, Tsunade-baachan is still alive," Naruto said, softly. "Sakura should be with Tsunade-baachan, not with me. She _deserves_ to be with her Tsunade-baachan. An apprentice should be with their master. You don't know when's the last time you'll see them…"

Naruto dropped his cup of tea suddenly and let out a forced breath of air, clutching his stomach.

"It's getting worse isn't it?" demanded Geratora. "The freeze won't hold for long. You may have gotten use to the seal's chakra imbalance, but it will get worse, trust me. If we wait too long, it'll be you behind the bars of your own psyche not the fox."

"I know," replied Naruto, briskly. "I've made it this far. I'm not turning back now. I just need to get a map and a boat then I'll be on my way."

"Baka!" sighed the frog. "You think you can just sail right into to Uzugakure? Not much of a hidden village then is it? Do you think that Uzugakure would have remained unconquered for over a hundred years if one could simply sail right into it? No, my boy, I don't think it'll be that easy."

"Huh?" cried Naruto. "Then how do I get there?"

"I don't know," admitted Gerotora. "Fukasaku had once mentioned that the only ones who can enter Uzugakure are those who already know the way."

"Great," sighed Naruto, hints of sarcasm in his tone. "So all I have to do now is find someone from a forgotten destroyed village. Where do I start?"

Gerotora opened his mouth, but vanished into a cloud of smoke as the door to the teahouse opened. Naruto looked and saw a confused Tazuna enter and sit beside the blonde.

"Could have sworn I saw you leaving," Tazuna said, scratching his head gently. "What're ya' still doing here Naruto? Couldn't get that other blondie of yours to stay. He's a strict one, I'll say."

Naruto smiled at the friendly company. "Uh, well…I still have work to do so I'm staying back until I'm done."

"Fantastic!" Tazuna laughed. "Then come, let's walk. I'm sure you want to see more of the island."

Naruto couldn't deny such a happy man the pleasure of showing off his land. He walked with the now governor down the streets of the island, everywhere people smiling, everywhere people happy.

"Say…" Naruto spoke suddenly. "Where's Inari? I'd like to see the kid."

Tazuna grinned proudly as a grandfather. "He got admitted into the Kirigakure Ninja Academy! Little Inari is going to be a ninja and serve to protect and help people. You were his inspiration, you know Naruto. He wanted to be like you."

Naruto's smile quickly faded when reality struck him hard. "Then we…Inari and I…we might have to face each other one day…"

"Do you really think it will come to war?" asked Tazuna.

"I don't know…I hope not."

"Bah, don't worry about it Naruto!" exclaimed Tazuna. "The Mizukage will find an answer. She always does."

Naruto stumbled as a small child latched onto his leg happily and refused to let go. Slightly amused and slightly worried, the mother rushed forward and apologized, taking her child with her.

"Come to think of it, why was the Mizukage here?" Naruto wondered aloud. "Why did she even annex this land?"

They had made their way to a small beach. Naruto could see the fishing boats in the distance. The fishermen laughed and jested lightheartedly. Naruto wondered how long it could last. He wondered what would happen when the island ran out of fish. He wondered at what time did the 5 great countries run out of fish. He could imagine it, the great lakes, for all their breadth, empty, vacant and hollow – the nothingness beneath the surface of water. When had Konoha run out of fish? Why?

"Haku," said Tazuna suddenly.

Naruto whipped his head around. "What?"

"You know," grumbled Tazuna impatiently. "Remember? That one ninja girl all those years ago? The one who could make Ice and stuff?"

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Just like…"

"Just like the Mizukage," finished Tazuna. "It turns out the Mizukage is looking for her clan. She just wants to find her family. It just so happens one small family decided to settle here with some…unique talents. We are grateful you know. The Mizukage is kind and gentle...well except toward the Seven Swordsmen that is. I tell you, Naruto, there probably isn't a man out there who hates them more than our Mizukage."

Naruto couldn't help but notice that while the icy personality he had been greeted with was not too welcoming, it appeared people loved her. Naruto smiled as he thought of such a leader looking for her family, looking for a sense of belonging, an ancestry perhaps or a legacy. That was a noble goal. Sometimes Naruto thought of his own family, thought of who his mother was and if he had any family left either. Perhaps he'd do as the Mizukage. Maybe one day he'd learn more, and seek out those final individuals who shared his blood if they were still alive.

"Can I ask you something Tazuna?"

The older man nodded slowly.

"What do you know about Uzugakure?"

OOO

Madara walked at a leisurely pace on rocky plains and flat land for as far as the eye could see. It was a far cry from Konoha. Behind him, two of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist kept a slower pace. Kisame looked…content. As monstrous as the swordsman was, even Madara admitted the fiercest of men held a certain affection for companionship. Madara knew this well. But that was from a lifetime ago. Even so, Madara could still recall his face, his warm demeanor and his unyielding kindness. It made him sick. It made him so far disturbed as to question its sincerity. Madara hated it more than anything on this earth. The humility was nauseating and a sham. It was not an act of modesty, but provocation. That snide bastard. Madara's very life was tainted, the final jeer. But the story was not over yet.

Even Madara had to concede. Being around familiar faces such as Kisame and Katsurou was…strange. For when he served as Sandaime Mizukage they were oblivious to his identity. He doubted that their sensei had told them the truth when he had figured it out. For all the necessary gears in Madara's plan, the founder of the Seven Swordsmen was a man he could have done without.

"You're going to be a problem aren't you?" Madara muttered to himself.

Briefly, Madara held his left arm. It reminded him never again to underestimate Kirigakure. Since his defeat and near death at the Valley of the End, the age old Uchiha had been struck only three times. That cursed man was one of them. Breaking Madara from his past thoughts, a strange grotesque thing emerged from the ground. The Uchiha continued walking.

"Shouldn't you be with Sasuke?" Madara asked lightly.

The man within the Venus flytrap was now fully emerged from the ground. "One half maybe. But we both know Sasuke is unlikely to find anything. You sent him on a trivial task to make sure he was far away from the summit didn't you?"

"It remains to be seen," Madara replied. "However unlikely, the rumors may be true. And if they are, we must find those two."

"It's _those_ two that I'm more worried about," Zetsu gestured behind him. "What did you offer the Kaguya in exchange for his service? He appears…less than sane, muttering on about his treatment. Is he sick then?"

"Sick as can be," Madara laughed, humorlessly. "He's been cripplingly wounded for the past 20 years. But his wound is not any laceration, poison or bruise. His wound is loss."

"The loss of his clan then?" Zetsu concluded.

"Not just that," the Uchiha corrected. "The loss of his little brother, not to death but worse, to the snake. Ah yes, the little sick brother that dear Katsurou all but neglected and cared so little for him that he left. Funny isn't it? How death changes perspectives so easily? That brother was a small nuisance alive. Now he's a small wound festered and gigantic. And so I offered dear Katsurou the treatment to his wound. Kabuto has gone to ground. But he will emerge eventually. And when he does, I will deliver him to the vengeful hands of the last Kaguya."

"You enjoy the torment of others?" Zetsu asked.

Madara sneered. "I am simply amused with all the complexities that life has to offer. Life is too convoluted, too many reasons to hate, too many reasons for anything really. The answer is simplicity. But it is difficult to make simple a world so filled with mundane distraction. All we can do is…_remove_ a little. And when that happens I'll have created a world greater than Hashirama _ever_ could."

OOO

The two rather old men sat on opposite ends of the wooden table. One was short and the other, crippled. Neither man spoke but their eyes and glares were engaged in fierce combat. For between the Tsuchikage and the Hokage neither wanted to yield. Neither wanted to have to say the first word acknowledging the other. Seeing as the Tsuchikage had called the meeting, he begrudgingly broke the tenuous silence.

"You know," spoke Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, "I used to make whole teams, battalions and even castles vanish. I could break a man into so small of pieces you could search until the end of time and not find them all. Old as I may be, do you doubt my strength is any less powerful?"

Danzo smirked. "I've never faced you in the battle, Tsuchikage-sama, but Hiruzen always held you in high regard. I'd be a fool to disregard his warning. I do not doubt your strength, Tsuchikage-sama. I know you could activate a jutsu that could turn me to dust."

"Could?" questioned the Tsuchikage. He began to grin. "No, Hokage-sama. I already have."

Danzo froze for an instant. His muscles tensed and his mind raced. Concentrating deeply, he could faintly detect the contours of chakra surrounding his form. It was invisible to the naked eye and so thinly spread across the smallest of surfaces that Danzo had not noticed it until now.

"The moment you sat down, you entered my jutsu," commented the Tsuchikage.

Danzo struggled to collect himself. "Do you intend to kill me?"

"That has yet to be decided," Onoki growled. "For now, I merely want to show you that I can. It is difficult for someone who fashions himself in all ways superior, to understand peril and seriousness. I believe placing you on a time bomb should help you understand the gravity of the situation."

"You play a dangerous game, Tsuchikage," Danzo murmured. The last title word was emphasized, almost in a challenging way.

"Now you know," the Tsuchikage continued. "If you lie to me here, I will make you disappear from this earth."

The Tsuchikage leaned forward. "Did you have a hand in the death of the High Master of Kusagakure?"

The two Kage faced off in a tension so thick it, outside, their retainers could feel it. Danzo remained stoic while Onoki steadily became irate with each passing second of silence.

"Why would I do that?" Danzo finally spoke.

"Because it's what I would have done," Onoki replied dangerously. "If my neighbor country began to flirt with the enemy, I would have the leader killed and install a friendlier regime. And how peculiar…It seems on the eve of Iwa mobilization, the leader of the separating country just so happens to be killed. And his successor just so happens to be Konoha-supporting. I am not stupid, Danzo. Now answer me proper, or you shall never speak again. Did you order the assassination of Kusagakure's leader?"

Danzo stayed silent. The Tsuchikage's nostrils flared and anger boiled within him. Danzo with his one eye, looked directly into the furious orbs of the Tsuchikage.

"Read my lips, Tsuchikage-sama," spoke Danzo. "I did not order the High Master's assassination."

Danzo's face, already heavily bandaged, revealed nothing, gave the Tsuchikage nothing. They stared intensely at each other.

"A strange turn of events it would seem," Danzo remarked. "But ask yourself this, Tsuchikage-sama. Would I really try something like that, knowing that you would see through it instantly? If I had had the High Master assassinated, it would be as good as declaring then and there that I was responsible. I am not stupid either, Onoki. I would not try subversion knowing that my neighbor would see through it. But if you don't believe me, fine. Blow me away into a million particles. And let's see you try to wage a false war instigated by your own misperceptions."

The Third Tsuchikage, old in his years, still stubborn in his ways, struggled to decide. Which one of them was the more cunning? Which one of them was about to outmaneuver the other in the game of power politics that they were both too familiar with? Onoki regrettably sighed. Danzo could feel the ever so slim chakra field disappear and he breathed easily.

The Kage pair exited the building, not more than a small wooden house, together, much to the relief of their respective retainers. Onoki shot Danzo one last look of distrust before climbing on top of his larger retainer.

"What happened Tsuchikage-sama?" asked the female retainer.

"That Danzo is a fool and a bastard," growled the Tsuchikage. "But he didn't assassinate the High Master. And I won't fight a war just to kill a bastard. Let's go."

"Hokage-sama?" asked Ibiki, concerned.

"Everything went fine," reported the crippled Kage. "Now come. We have a summit to attend."

OOO

Naruto had maintained hundreds of shadow clones at once. He had mastered the grueling process of learning the Rasengan quicker than any other known man. He had after days and days of nonstop effort, cut through a waterfall and master wind nature. Even so, Naruto had never felt as exhausted as he did now. As content as he was, he decided that a hero's life didn't suit him. It was in all senses of the word, overwhelming. The free ramen had almost got him to cry tears of joy but subsequently following his oversized meal, he had been hounded to near the point of insanity. He could not be angry at the crowd. But he could be annoyed at least. And the tired and annoyed shinobi collapsed on a bed of grass, pale blue flowers surrounding his prone form.

He had learnt a little about Uzugakure from Tazuna and the locals but he had yet to procure one who could safely guide him there. According to Tazuna and some venturous fishermen, Uzugakure was surrounded by an anomaly of strong and violent whirlpools. If one could not navigate through them, they'd find themselves at the bottom of the sea. He had investigated all possible leads Tazuna had given him. The blonde, hoping for the slightest chance that one of them was an old native, had pestered sailors, merchants and scholars all over the island. But it was not to be. Uzugakure remained firmly seated in mystery, even to those nearest to it.

He wondered what it looked like – before its demise. Was it anything like Konoha? Did Uzugakure have brave noble shinobi to defend it while happy common folk bustled through busy streets with goods, culture, music and life? Did they have celebrations and festivities? Did they have heroes? Did they have demons? Were the leaders kind? Were the clans just? Were men strong and women beautiful? What was this ancient village – its demise so tragic that it was forgotten entirely – like? Naruto had no real concept of what Uzugakure would be when he arrived. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the excitement, the unexplainable longing to arrive there.

Frustrated, he gave his head a thud against the ground. Fantasizing would get him nowhere. He needed a shepherd, someone who could get him past the white. Someone who could get him to the other side and eventually to the land surrounded by the churning waters of the sea.

It felt nice, lying down here. The grass was slightly damp with the lingering morning dew still clinging to the blades of grass. Some wild birds chirped their mating calls. A cool breeze swept forth from the ocean beyond. The scent of herbs and flowers were enchanting. Small rays of light, crafted their way through the foliage rested on Naruto's face. Naruto closed his eyes and let himself be taken out of this world and into the realm more awesome and bizarre than could be imagined. He dreamt. He could rest easy here. This place was serene. Perhaps he would be at peace here.

_He is standing on ground he cannot see. He looks to appreciate where he is but he cannot see. He means to walk but still he cannot see. So he cannot walk. The front looks like the back. The right looks like the left. And in whiteness he is still. And in whiteness he is captive. Something waits at the end of the road. Something waits at the beginning too. And something deep waits on the sides. A fall. A fall with no end. But he still cannot walk, not to the end, the beginning or the side. For as left is right and right is left and as front is back and back is front there is no knowing. Right may be to the end and back may be to the side. Left may be at the start and front may be to the end. He cannot move for he cannot see. He is blind. In the whiteness that holds him, left is right and forward too. He does not know where he goes. So he cannot go. Nothing holds meaning when all is white. But staying still is not an option. He moves. He doesn't know whether he moves to the left or the right or forward or backward. But it does not matter. Because in the white, left is right and forward too. He does not know what is at the end of the road but it does not matter. Because he cannot see. Which way is the end and which the beginning? How can he make sure he does not fall if he cannot see? If all is white…he wonders if it is truly important at all._

_ He cannot move but cannot be still. He cannot see and cannot know. He will give up. He will surrender the illusion of direction, surrender the fantasy of an beginning, end and side. There is only one direction, only one end and origin. The white. It surrounds him, chokes him. He moves to the white wherever he goes. He feels like he wants to die. He feels trapped with no escape. But from the infinity of the whiteness, he hears a voice. The voice is both cold and warm. He has no direction, but the voice guides him. He cannot see and cannot know but he follows the voice. The voice is both cold and warm._

_ He would not be at peace here._

There was a rustle of grass. The birds scattered.

"You're going to catch a cold if you sleep there."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Yes, she is a girl in this story. End of discussion. Please read and review. Thanks.**

* * *

><p><em>"You're going to catch a cold if you sleep there."<em>

He had heard those words before. He had heard that _voice_ before. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had been _here_ before, in this exact place, in this exact position. He opened his eyes. In his periphery, Naruto could see the shape of the one that woke him. He was almost too scared to look. He raised his blonde head slowly from the damp grass cushion.

He simply stared at the figure across him. There was absolute silence. The birds were mute, the wind silenced and the trees still. Naruto shook his head but the image did not part. It was a girl, tall and beautiful.

Naruto couldn't move. The shock was too great. His eyes were wide. His heart pounded so frantically he thought it might erupt from his chest cavity. His limbs felt numb, as if all the blood raced towards his head trying to wake himself up. But there was no waking up. This was no dream.

The girl was black of hair, pale skinned, slender formed, tall figured with kind eyes. He recognized her. She looked as pretty as the first time Naruto had seen her. His jaw hung loosely, leaving his mouth agape. And the voice! Naruto finally understood his own internal description. Cold and warm. Cold and warm.

It was too much. He couldn't believe it. Everything told him he was awake but Naruto stood as slack jawed as ever his mouth dry and absent any words. His face muscles were not reacting. He mustered the will to move his mouth, his lips trembling as he did so.

"H-Haku?"

OOO

Waters roared and crashed against the jagged rocks of the island's cliff coast. The island had no name. It was not significant enough to warrant one. Such a place was only fit for those who were either not significant enough to warrant a name either, or those who wanted to forget their names entirely. The island housed many who traveled from island to island, merchants, fishers and pirates. But the island laid claim to only one permanent resident. That man sat on the cliff of a rock, the furious waves, once again beaten back by the rocks, splashing at his feet. His hair was long, white with a hint of blue. His stubble was fresh and greying. And besides the growing bags beneath his eyes, the man's face carried the years of one far older.

He sighed heavily as he always did and gazed beyond into the vast ocean. They were out there. In truth, he didn't know exactly who _they_ were. But whoever _they _were, he'd kill them. All of them, parading in this insulting façade of honor. All of them, trying to convince the world and themselves that they were above beasts. But he knew the truth. There was no honor to be found in men. They were little better than demons. The only different was demons had at least the strength to admit it. He laughed at these knights in shining armor, these champions of justice and honor. It was nothing more than a cheap trick designed to polish the character of man, the beast of consciousness but not the beast of decency. He felt the side of his blade against his leg. He liked to think of it and himself as a reminder – a reminder to all those before they perished before it. For in the final moments before these so called honorable men were cut down, they'd realize who they were. He could feel the power of the waves smashing against the coast as vividly as he could feel his own body, versatile and flexible in the final years of his prime.

On another rock facing him opposite, a man appeared, seemingly instantly rising from the ocean. His hair was damp but his sword stood in his hand, blades shielded, but ready.

"I knew you'd come for me one day. I knew one day you'd come for all of us."

"Ichiku," spoke the new man.

"Oh yes," said Ichiku. "That was what you used to call me. Ichiku Hozuki, Legendary Swordsman of the Mist, if I'm correct. Ha! Just thinking about it makes me vomit. We paraded around like we were some noble warriors. Ha! You've come to kill me haven't you, sensei?"

The man's silence answered his question.

"You may want to kill me, sensei, but I no longer have any desire to fight you. Your sickness was shed the first time. I have nothing to remind you of."

"Maybe not," growled the man. "But I still have something to remind _you _of. Like your two brothers you and the others cut down and the rest of which you left for dead! Like your childhood friends, your teammates, my apprentices that you murdered! Like the dozens if not hundreds of lives you have taken in this madness you call a crusade of illumination! I wonder Ichiku, with all your ramblings about the lies of honor, where do you fit in? Do you think killing anyone who has even an ounce of dignity and pride will bring _you _honor?"

"You see," smirked Ichiku. "You see, _now_, we can have a real conversation. Now that you have stripped your false pretenses of righteousness we can finally talk."

"I'm not here to talk!" snapped the older swordsman. "I'm here to end the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I'm here to correct my mistake that cost so many lives. I'm here to stop you from killing anymore good men that you believe can't exist."

"Mistake?" spoke one of the famed Seven. "Maybe not so much of a mistake. Maybe I still have a reason to live. Maybe I still have a role to play…I got responsibilities you know, haha!"

"Responsibilities?" boomed his sensei. "To whom? The sons you never saw? The village you never served? The comrades you never protected?"

Even Ichiku was taken aback at the ferocity and anguish laced in the deafening bellows of his sensei.

"You are right, sensei," Ichiku whispered. "I don't really have a reason to live. Nevertheless, I want to continue doing so. If you intend to fight me, that is your choice. But you will not find me easy prey. The ocean is a vast place, sensei."

The older swordsman gripped his blade tightly. "I fished you from the sea once before, I can do it again."

"We'll see, sensei."

Instantly, Ichiku Hozuki, one of the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist vanished as soon as a high wave struck his rock. He had turned to water and was intended on making his escape. But the older shinobi watched with close eyes. He had trained the Hozuki. He knew his tricks. He knew how to track him. And he would pursue, at whatever length. He'd follow his former student until there was no water left for him to hide in. And then, he would kill him.

OOO

She smiled at him. It was a smile from the icy shinobi that warmed Naruto's being. He jumped up, stumbling backwards. He was perspiring and unsure. This was all too surreal.

"What?" he asked. "How? You…I saw you die! I buried you myself!"

She smiled sadly at the bewildered blonde.

"How are you here?"

She paused before speaking. "I died on the bridge, Naruto. I laid on my back, dead as dead can be."

"Then how are you here!" Naruto demanded again, fearful and alarmed.

She looked perplexed. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I woke up."

Naruto finally realized what was going on. He couldn't make any sudden movements. He couldn't afford to waste a single move. He had to be quick. His eyes rolled around to as far as his sockets would allow, trying to fish out a potential spot where the interloper hid. He could not see. And thanks to the damned freeze, he couldn't rely on the Kyuubi to shake him from the illusion. He'd have to do it himself. And he'd have to do it quick. The longer he was trapped in this trickery the more and danger he was. With unmatched speed, he brought his hands together.

"Release!" he cried.

After a few seconds, he looked up. She was still there. He looked back down at his hands.

"Release!" he called again.

"Naruto what are you-"

"Shut up," Naruto commanded. "This isn't real. You-you're not real. You can't just _wake up_ from death! If you could, then…then…"

He felt hot, feverishly so. He stumbled backwards, unable to understand what was going on. Before he could do anything, the girl he had met 4 years prior at this same spot, rushed him, placing a hand on his forehead. The feeling was cool. The feeling was real. With merely a touch, she cooled his mind.

"Is this real enough for you?"

Naruto sat down, Haku beside him. He saw her basket of herbs had been overturned, probably when she had appeared next to him. He felt bad.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"You _woke up_," Naruto repeated hollowly. "How does one-"

"I don't know!" Haku cried, exasperatingly. "All I know is that I woke. And since then, I don't know what to do with myself! Meeting you…here of all places…"

"Surprising?" he offered, dryly.

There was no answer. Naruto felt the need to say something. But he was at a lack of words. The situation was bizarre enough without these awkward silences.

"What…what are you doing?"

"Picking herbs," she replied.

"For who?"

Haku paused. "I don't know."

She stared at her basket. "Do you want them?" she offered.

"Uh…sure," Naruto replied, hesitantly.

"And what are _you_ doing?"

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it regretfully. "Honestly? I have no clue. I'm doing nothing here but fumbling around in the dark. I tried…but…you know…"

"Well then, lets _do_ something," Haku concluded. She grabbed him by the arm and forced him to his feet.

Locking his arm in hers, she led and he followed. The feeling was both cold and warm. The isolation of the grassy green quickly parted. They passed by Tazuna's old house. It seemed eerily empty with Tazuna now relocated closer to the island's center and both Inari and Tsunami in Kirigakure. Naruto had fond memories of this place. He remembered Kakashi teaching him chakra control. He remembered competing with Sasuke to see who climb higher. And he remembered late in the night when the pair of them would return to Sakura's scolding.

He remembered the sensei he had lost, the friend who had left him, and the teammate he had sent away.

"This place is serene," Haku sighed, peacefully. "I'm glad."

Naruto thought about bringing up Zabuza but refrained. He could feel the icy chakra in her hand but also the inexplicable warmth that radiated from it. He didn't understand the situation entirely but neither did she. He figured he had no business prying and complaining when the unknown must have certainly been plaguing Haku worse. She looked very happy. Naruto realized he was happy as well. He didn't want it to end.

He could abandon the hunt, for at least one day.

It wasn't long until the town spotted him again, walking down the smooth paved roads that were once only covered with dirt. They waved and smiled. Naruto waved back, grinning like a champion.

Haku looked to the sky and saw a fresh green leaf blown away. It danced and spun in the air like a little ballerina on the greatest stage of all, with only the sky and the world to hold her. It was the masterpiece, Haku realized. When the wind could no longer hold it up, the leaf was to sink to the water. It would dance no more dances, enchant no more drafts. And so it spun and spun and spun, knowing this choreography, this play, would never happen again. The wind died and the leaf floated down to the surface of the water. Before it could touch it, the water turned to bright white glass, frozen and sturdy. On the tiny surface of ice, the leaf sat. Waiting.

"First one to the leaf," Haku called.

"Your on!" replied Naruto, who leapt at once, trying to pass the water that separated him from the leaf.

Naruto yelped surprisingly as his water walk had slipped and he tumbled into the water. Haku laughed greatly as Naruto fished himself out, muttering about his stupid seal. Haku smiled at Naruto, who despite his situation wore a faint grin of his own. She held out her hand to Naruto who took it again. Her hand was cold and warm.

She advanced towards the water. Naruto hesitated.

"My chakra's kind of been wild, lately," Naruto said nervously. "Wouldn't want to bring you down with me…"

Haku laughed softly. "Do you trust me?"

He looked at her. "Yes," he said truthfully.

Wordlessly, she pulled him, hand in hand, towards the water again. They were at the water's frontier. The inhale and exhale of the ocean brought the waves to their toes but no further. The rest was up to them. Haku waited patiently.

"Naruto," she said, melodically. "Have some faith in me."

Naruto took a breath and placed his foot on the water's surface, half expecting to fall through again. But this time, his foot found solid ground. He looked down and saw ice where his foot lay. Haku gave him a comforting laugh. Together, Haku and Naruto walked across the water, the ice spreading beneath their feet like a protective path until it connected with the small surface of ice and the leaf that rested above it. Haku gazed at the leaf.

"A falling leaf will dance only once," she murmured. "The ice can stop if from sinking. But it won't dance again."

Naruto looked at the leaf and felt a hint of sadness.

"But Naruto," Haku said, cheerfully, pulling him to face her. "You're from Konoha. I think that leaf will dance once more. But only if it wants to."

Slowly, Naruto bent down and tenderly scooped the leaf into the palm of his hand. He lifted it to the sky and few seconds passed before it had caught another tempo, heard another rhythm. And so it danced from Naruto's hand to the invisible stage of the winds and skies.

"I think this dance will be better than the last," Haku whispered, comfortingly.

They left the shore.

"Hey," Haku stopped Naruto. "Let's eat there."

He followed her pointing finger to a ramen stand to which his silly grin spread wider.

"Back again Naruto?" said the old man.

"Yup," he cheerfully replied. "2 Miso Ramen bowls this time."

"Starting with 2, eh?" the old man laughed. "Why not?"

Naruto's stomach swelled, several minutes later, telling him that his appetite had been satisfying. Haku giggled at the sight. After regaining his balance, the pair walked. Seemingly without direction, but neither complained. Naruto listened to her speak of her homeland. Haku listened to Naruto's recounting of his master. They smiled, the pair of them. Naruto felt strangely as if he had come closer to Haku after this four year absence than he ever was back when the Great Naruto Bridge was a dream yet to be finished. He felt as if he knew her, understood her…almost as much as he knew himself. Their pain lied on different shores but he understood it all the same. He had thought as a boy, he knew what pain was when he watched his best friend skewered by a dozen needles. Little did that young Naruto know how long was the road of anguish that he had yet to walk. And now, Naruto 4 years older, four years more mature through the pain did not fool himself as he did back then. He wasn't at the end of the road. Maybe he hadn't even made it to the middle. There was great pain in his past and great pain yet to come. Perhaps that is why he felt so comfortable with this girl he hardly knew, yet fulljy understood.

Their likeness had drawn them together four years ago and so it had again. Naruto knew, like himself, Haku's road of anguish was not over. He could tell there would be trials to test and attempt to crack the solid layer of ice she named peace. And Naruto thought to his own trials, the red dawn that would try to extinguish the legacy of his father, his master and his sibling disciple. There was much pain in the pair of them. And Nagato had been at least right in this. Pain helped people understand one another.

Their absentminded pace was kept up for a while. The sun was just about ready to set. Somehow, they had made their way to the edge of the island, with the Great Naruto Bridge at their feet. The white mist was there again, as always. Haku's arm was still around Naruto's. He felt strangely comforted by it.

She parted from Naruto and walked towards the bridge. Her foot touched the first stone of the bridge. She stood upright as if memory shot through her spine. Her back was to a curious Jinchuuriki. Neither spoke but they both felt the pain. The bridge stood as a beacon of hope to some, but a painful memory this pair. It had been his first true experience of pain, as Naruto realized. He could only see the back of Haku's head, and he shivered to guess what thoughts swirled in her mysterious head.

"Naruto…" she whispered mystically, her register singing hauntingly in the mist. "I need to ask you to do something for me."

Naruto clenched his fists and his heart near froze absent any jutsu Haku could have thrown his way. He couldn't do it again…he wouldn't. The bridge carried enough pain in its foundations. It did not need its namesake to make fresh wounds.

"I need you."

Haku turned around slowly, facing Naruto. The blonde Jinchuuriki was looking out to sea. "What?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "I said I need you."

"Why wou-"

"I remember the last time you ever asked me to do something for you," Naruto interjected suddenly. His voice was grave and low. "It was four years ago but I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. I stood, bleeding and angry on one side. You stood mask-broken and resigned on the other side. I remember what you asked me that day, Haku."

Haku closed her eyes in melancholy.

"You asked me to kill you," Naruto spoke. "You told me that the pain of not being needed by anyone was too great. You said you had no reason to exist…now that you had no important people you could protect."

Naruto stopped averting his gaze and stared straight at Haku. Her eyes were wide with wonder. Behind her, the backdrop of the ominous white was stained gold with the final rays of the falling sun.

"I need you," Naruto repeated, firmly. "I'll be your reason to exist. Please help me Haku. I don't how you'll help me or even if you can. But I want your help even if you can't actually help me."

Naruto closed his eyes, half in plea, the other half in wish. "I'll be your important person. T-that is, of course, if you'd be okay with-"

He was cut off and silenced. Cold yet warm. That was the feeling on Naruto Uzumaki felt as Haku, tearful and shocked, pressed her lips to his.

It was the loveliest feeling he had ever felt.

And for that brief moment, he was at peace.


	10. Chapter 10

The boat was large enough for the two of them, but barely. It creaked softly as it cut its way through the unnervingly still waters north of the Land of Waves. Naruto sat at the back, nervously steering the boat forward. There was a strong mist in the area. It felt more…natural than the mist at the island. But nevertheless, the effects were the same: blindness.

"It's bad enough we trying to get somewhere that could drag us to the bottom of the ocean, if we're not careful," Naruto said, anxiously. "And now, we can't even see anything."

Haku didn't look back. She had placed herself at the bow, looking outwards. She grabbed the worn down tip of the boat to keep herself upright. From Naruto's perspective, she could have been the figurehead of the boat, a mermaid or spirit perhaps, guiding the ship forward.

The boat continued forward. Naruto became more nervous by the minute. They had left the Land of Waves quickly. Haku enthusiastically pushed Naruto to continue his journey. They had gotten a boat. Haku had already hopped in but Naruto was not so confident.

He had asked her how they were going to get to Uzugakure. Haku had stared at him strangely. She had replied: "Naruto, have some faith in me."

And so he had, but his faith was beginning to be tested. It had been a day and a half's journey into the sea. They had yet to encounter the so-called "sailor's bane" according to the folk of the Waves. The treacherous waters and whirlpools that assured no entry into Uzugakure stood dauntingly in Naruto's mind, reminding him of the dangers of his journey.

And he still didn't know where he was going. He put his faith in Haku, yet he didn't even know if _she_ knew where she was going. She'd perch herself at the bow and silently show Naruto where to direct the boat with merely the direction her head faced.

"I wonder what Uzugakure is like," Haku murmured. "Maybe it's like home. Maybe it's better…"

"Well whatever it is, there probably ain't much of it left," Naruto sighed. "Someone told me that the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist destroyed it."

"But why did they destroy it," Haku wondered. "Was it because it was too wicked? Or was it because it was too great?"

The question lingered in the thick air as the boat moved forward. Naruto really hoped they'd pass the mist. That'd be one less thing to worry about. Several hours passed. Haku and Naruto would make light conversation. Other times, the pair would fall into silence as the tension of blindness and possibility of immediate disaster dissuaded idle chatter. The water had become rougher. The mist doubled in thickness. Everywhere, Naruto was damp and soaked. It was worse for Haku who stood to the front. Her clothes clung to her, wet. Her hair clung to her face. And Naruto was chilled to the bone but the sight of Haku strong amidst the damp misery could still warm him in ways he could not yet comprehend.

The water became stronger again and stronger still. The more Naruto pushed forward, dutifully following the head motions of Haku, the more rapid and volatile the water became. Naruto realized they were close. Very close. They were not far from the sailor's bane. If they could make it past the anomaly of whirlpools, it would be a smooth sail into the Uzugakure harbor. From what merchants had told him, the abnormality of the whirlpools put them in a tight ring and complex formation, like a minefield. Once sucked in, there was no turning back. The strength of one could reel in a ship of a thousand men as if it were the fishermen and the boat, the catch.

"Haku, do you know what you're doing?" Naruto yelled. The water had become quite loud. "If we do one thing wrong, will be swept to the bottom of the ocean! How do you know where you're going?"

"I don't," Haku admitted.

Naruto expected as much. "Have you even been to Uzugakure before?"

Haku looked regretful. "No."

They could see the whirlpools now. They were absolutely massive and astoundingly deep. The water spun and caved inward, deeper and deeper until Naruto couldn't see the bottom of it. And that scared him near death. He worriedly gripped the boat's directional instruments tightly. Haku lifted her hand to the whirlpools.

The churning and the spinning of the closest whirlpool began to slow and slow. Its circular motion became sluggish and unbecoming of its form. Naruto watched in awe as it began to freeze. The ice began to spread from the outside tendrils of the whirlpool and work its way to the center. Haku strained as she tried to calm the water. But she could not tame it. As inexplicable as the whirlpools themselves, the ice covering it, broke and shattered. The whirlpool resumed its furious churn as if it had never been frozen. Haku laid down her hand in disappointment.

Naruto looked at the scene miserably. "How are we going to get through this?"

Haku looked back at Naruto and smiled. "Naruto, have some faith in me."

She turned her head left. Naruto stared momentarily before adjusting the boat's direction. Sweat added to the moisture on his face. The treachery was that there was no clear outline as to where one whirlpool's pull ended and where another one's gripping influence began. He couldn't tell if they were about to descend into the pull of another whirlpool. But he followed Haku. She straightened her head out and Naruto did the same with the boat.

They were midway past the first whirlpool. It splashed at Naruto's face but he paid no attention. So far, Naruto still had control. Haku tilted her head ever so slightly to the right. Naruto obeyed. The boated drifted rightwards in tiny proportions. Naruto's supporting hand slipped and he dropped a kunai into the water. The kunai was quickly pulled through the water into a growing whirlpool that Naruto hadn't even noticed. That tiny adjustment to the right had just saved his life.

Naruto tried to pay no heed to the surrounding phenomena and fixed his gaze on his survival, on Haku. He followed her motions with the boat's. An eerie feeling passed over him. He couldn't explain it. It didn't feel pleasant but it didn't feel bad either. When Haku motioned her head hard right, Naruto had already steered the boat in that direction.

The field of whirlpools was long but Naruto felt more confident. If he placed his faith in Haku, they'd get by alright. He knew it.

OOO

"This sucks," cried a bored Suigetsu. "I want to be with Katsurou and Kisame, not stuck looking for a pair of oafs!"

"Shut up," Karin lashed back in annoyance. "If Sasuke's going, we're going too!"

"I followed him to get the Seven Legendary Swords," Suigetsu, grumbled. "Two are lost forever, and if I went with Kisame and Katsurou, I could have gotten all the rest."

"Quit your whining, Suigetsu," said Juugo patiently. "I doubt they would give their blades to you anyway. And I don't think our two targets are simply oafs."

"See?" Karin snapped. "Juugo understands. That Madara Uchiha said people have been seeing two infamously powerful shinobi in Earth Country. They haven't been seen in decades. Those _oafs_ could give you a run for their money. What were they called again? The…the Silver Gold Brothers…or was it the Gold and Silver Brothers? What was it again Sasuke?"

Sasuke walked ahead of his companions silently. His head was lowered and his eyes were dark. "It doesn't matter," he responded simply. "Madara isn't controlling me. You guys will go find the targets. I'm going after Danzo."

Karin gasped. "Sasuke! Madara said-"

"I don't give a damn what he said!" snapped the young Uchiha. "Maybe I can't take on all of the Kage. So I'll just wait for the summit to end and take him when he's alone. And when we cross paths, I'm going to kill him, for Itachi and for the Uchiha."

A cold feeling swept over Taka. Wordlessly, Sasuke departed, leaving the three remaining members puzzled but aware that trying to follow or convince their leader otherwise would be futile. None of them said it but they all thought the same thing.

They hoped Sasuke knew what he was doing.

OOO

The room was lit brightly, vanquishing any last remnants of darkness. It was not a great hall. The floor was not of polished marble. The table was not ornately decorated nor the seats lavishly adorned. Their occupants needed no such comforts. They were warriors not lords. And the room was surprisingly absent of darkness, despite being the Summit of Shadows.

They entered one by one. The very young Kazkage entered first, stoic-faced, clearly wanting to show no sign of weakness for his elder counterparts to exploit. Following him was the beautiful Mizukage, raven haired and elegant. She took her seat next to Gaara of the Desert. The crippled and delicate looking Danzo, old in his years and heavily bandaged followed and took his seat carefully, with slow and deliberate motions. Then floated in the Tsuchikage, small in stature but enormous in reputation. He wore his pride proudly and such arrogance was etched into his face. Lastly, strode in the gigantic mountain of a man that was the Raikage, tanned, angry and of unfathomable strength.

The Five Kage had convened. Yet none of them wore smiles or friendly faces. Whatever means had brought them together were but the starting point. They could not betray their statesmen character. If there was cooperation to result from this, these 5 shinobi, undeniably the strongest assembly of ninja, would engage in all manner of bargaining, argument and even blows should it come to it.

This was not some fairy tale. And each leader knew this well. The Akatsuki was a threat, but no threat would be large enough for the Kage to forsake their own villages' security. Gaara, still iron-faced, realized then and there why there had never before been a gathering of all the Kage. When people of this different of background, goals and personalities, unified only by their colossal strength, met under one roof, there was more chance for battle than coordination.

Above the Kage on the higher platform stood their respective retainers. The moderator had tasked them to keep the peace but none of them had been fooled. It was not peace they protected, but their leaders. At all costs.

The Raikage's chest heaved as he prepared to speak. "I called this summit," he spoke loudly and strongly, "to deal with the Akatsuki that have shown the audacity to attack all Nations, even ours."

"No doubt you called this in response to your jinchuuriki's near kidnapping," the Tsuchikage chuckled. "But it is not the responsibility of foreign Kage to assure Kumo's protection."

"Like hell it isn't!" growled the Raikage. "All Akatsuki members have hailed from your villages! Konoha, Iwa, Kiri and Suna! Kumo has suffered not one defection to the Akatsuki! All the Kage, grown lax in their discipline, unable to control their ninja, _do_ have a responsibility to deal with the Akatsuki, precisely because it was your idle leadership that led to formation of this very group!" The Raikage's glare flickered to one particular Kage.

The Mizukage's eyes glared dangerously. "Careful, Raikage-sama."

"Do you deny the claim that the Akatsuki began from the ashes of the Seven Swordsmen?" the Tsuchikage inquired. "And that one of its first members was in fact Kisame Hoshigaki, _your teammate_?"

"You need not remind me of such things," the Mizukage spoke, coolly. "At that time, we had either an incompetent or inactive government. Suggesting that Kiri had a hand in the creation of the Akatsuki is beyond reason, Raikage-sama. And you'd do well to hold your tongue to such outlandish accusations."

"Ninja from your villages form the Akatsuki," the Raikage persisted. "And as leaders and more importantly, shinobi, it is your responsibility to destroy the Akatsuki and end the shame they bring to your village's names! Villages deal with their own problems. And now we have a problem that concerns all of us."

"And what do you propose?" the Tsuchikage asked. "The Akatsuki are too illusive, some say too strong even for any one nation to deal with them. And besides, any responsibility we had to the Akatsuki died with Deidara. We hold no presence in the Akatsuki and so bear none of its problems."

"Its problems are your problems," Gaara spoke, suddenly. "Whether your shinobi be a part of them or not. You think the Akatsuki are gathering Bijuu on a whim?"

The Tsuchikage glared angrily.

Gaara ignored it and continued. "If the Akatsuki succeeds in capturing the last two remaining Jinchuuriki, the consequences will likely be catastrophic, and too large for one nation to bear. We can't let that happen. And so we can't just ignore the threat of the Akatsuki simply because it doesn't immediately concern us."

"The Kazekage is right!" roared the Raikage. "We must destroy the Akatsuki. And as says the Tsuchikage, the Akatsuki are increasingly illusive, beyond the capacity of any one country to track. It is of all of our concern and I see no reason why we shouldn't all contribute to its destruction! Let us join our forces and until the crisis is over. Unite under Kumo. Let us gather our collective strength to crush the Akatsuki once and for all!"

Danzo chuckled noticeably. The Kage turned to him, the Raikage angry once again. "You have something to say, _Hokage_?"

"Why should we pledge our forces to the likes of you?" Danzo said. "As brazen as you may be Raikage-sama, you can't expect the Kage to fall before you and submit based on what? An Akatsuki goal to which we know absolutely nothing about? I don't think so. It will be a cold day in hell before Konoha ever bows to Kumo. I will not hand over my men and the security of my village to a foreigner."

"What happens if we do unite," the Tsuchikage asked testily. "What happens after our joined forces lose men and women to destroy the Akatsuki. Our ranks will be weakened. But you, Raikage, you and your village contain the largest standing ninja force in the world. Once we defeated the Akatsuki, you'd be in a prime position to assert your power over the rest of us, with our ranks hurt."

"I don't trust Kumo to keep the peace, not after their failed and disgraceful attempt on the Hyuuga," Danzo asserted.

"You speak of peace?" the Mizukage whispered, testily. "You speak of peace while Konoha's Shadow Master marches upon Amegakure with a host of a hundred strong!"

"And what of yourself?" replied Danzo. "Tell me, how many lands you have conquered? Tell me how many people you have subjugated to Kiri rule and how many islands you have stolen from the rest of the world, and Kumo in particular?"

"Neither force nor conquest were ever employed," the Mizukage spoke. "They joined out of their own free will to unite the great Islands Protectorate. Kiri has not engaged in any military conflict whatsoever in over 30 years! And yet you, Hokage, profess peace while your armies march upon the Rainy Lands! I can think of no greater hypocrisy!"

"This threat extends beyond national interests!" Gaara interjected, trying to calm the Kage. "We must act together or we will be thrown into darkness."

The Tsuchikage snorted. "I always wondered what on earth Suna was thinking, naming a Kazekage so young. You clearly don't understand, boy. A Kage doesn't care how strong his village is. He cares how weak all other villages are."

"I don't need you to describe my own duties, Tsuchikage," Gaara replied coldly. "And it's Kazekage. Not boy. I might not be as experienced but I know that this distrust between us will not lead to any progress."

"The only reason any of our villages are still standing is because of mistrust!" Danzo scolded. "To place my village's men in the hands of another gives him an disproportionate abundance of power. And to what ends will he use that power? The ninja world is not governed by honor and loyalty. It's a dark and power-seeking place filled by overly ambitious leaders. There is only one way to play this game. And the Raikage's plan goes against everything this world has taught us. It is folly. Not ten thousand Akatsuki would have me bow to the Lightning."

"Ninja of your villages attacked mine," growled the Raikage. "Do nothing, and I will-"

"You'll do what exactly?" demanded the Mizukage. "Wage war on us? You think you can defeat the world Raikage-sama?"

"If there is a war to be waged, history will tell that it was you, Mizukage-sama who launched the first blow. Your incursions into Lightning Bay violate over a dozen territorial treaties between Water and Lightning. Be glad I have been understanding thus far but your noncooperation here will not be tolerated."

"Not be tolerated!" laughed the Tsuchikage. "You think you have the authority to order the Kage?"

The Raikage stood up, his chair launched backwards and his large heavy hands curled into tight fists resting on the table. His daunting form towered over the others.

The room fell silent into apprehension. The retainers everywhere stood poised and ready. Danzo was the lone Kage who appeared unmoved, even uninterested in the situation. Rather, his head was down, in deep thought. Meanwhile the Kage of Suna, Kiri, Iwa and Kumo were unsure what would happen next.

"I _will_ destroy the Akatsuki," declared the Raikage. "And all of you will help me. I am no stranger politics. If the balance of power is what leaves the Kage on edge, I will listen."

"I don't need to barter with political favors," Gaara replied. "And it's shameful such measures are necessary to buy the support of the rest of the Kage."

"Speak for yourself, Kazekage," the Mizukage muttered, eyes fixed with the Raikage. "Unlike the rest of us, you have a geographical isolation from Kumo. You're safe from his influence. The rest of us are not so lucky. If I am to join forces with Kumo, I want Kumo to formerly renounce their rights to Bluestone Island."

The Raikage looked ready to explode. "You take half a dozen of our smaller islands and you want more still? Greedy woman..."

"All annexed territory was at one point historically belonging to Kiri or else containing far more Water nationals than Lightning's," the Mizukage replied. "And once I give you my forces, I will be at a disadvantage. The Bluestone Island is your strongest viable location to stage offensive operations into Kiri. I don't care about your intentions Raikage. I care about your capabilities. And to shelter Kiri, I require Bluestone Island."

"And Earth?" the Raikage asked.

In another life, the Kage would be in combat, gaging each others weakness, planning strategic maneuvers. But they had left that behind. They were not just warriors. They were statesmen now. They politicked rather than clashed with swords, fists and sheer power. Because of course, they were expected to act…civilized.

OOO

"How many times have you left this tent?" Neji asked. "You should get some rest every once in a while. She won't wake just because you're here."

"She's my master," Sakura replied curtly. "And she doesn't have anyone else."

"So nothing good from Kiri then," Neji sighed. "Still don't understand it."

"Neither do we," Sakura replied. "Even Ino's dad seemed really confused. Apparently the Mizukage doesn't hold Danzo in high esteem."

Neji's mind drifted back to the scene he had witnessed but he then grimaced as Sakura tightened the bandages around his hands. She looked at him concerned.

"How'd this happen anyway," demanded Sakura.

"Had to get a little rough with my Gentle Fist style," Neji replied instantly.

"Gentle Fist?" Sakura questioned. "Looks like you were just bashing your fists against something. Neji…"

"I'm fine," he responded coolly, plucking his bandaged hands away from Sakura.

"We all miss Hinata," Sakura spoke quietly.

Back turned, Neji closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Yeah…I know…But she was only your friend. She was my cousin…she was my responsibility."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but she found herself lacking words of comfort. Neji heard a groan from behind him. Moments later, after it had properly registered, he stiffened.

There were three people in the tent. And the groan hadn't come from Sakura.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Please read and review. Thanks.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Once again, as a reminder, Kirigakure and its characters and history have been changed for this story. Please read carefully. There are hints scattered everywhere. Reviewing really helps me out. Please enjoy.**

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><p>"I don't know about this," Naruto persisted again.<p>

Haku rolled her eyes drolly and continued to stare forward.

"That's what you've said every other time," she laughed.

"But this time, it's serious," Naruto whined. "What if passing through those whirlpools just spun us around? We might be heading father away from Uzugakure, not getting closer to it!"

Haku's eyes turned cold. "You still don't have any faith in me," she accused, flatly.

She refused to talk to him for the next hour despite several attempts on Naruto's part. Naruto sat at the back of the boat, confused and exasperated. Why was she so keen on gaining his trust? Now that he asked himself that question, the answer seemed quite obvious.

"I _do_ trust you," Naruto spoke, the ship moving forward still at a faster tempo.

"You keep saying that," Haku sighed. "But every time we run into the slightest bit of trouble you lose all faith in me. You're not as confident as you once were."

Naruto paused in introspection. "I'm sorry. It's just…I don't know. A lot happened in those four years. There's less for me to be confident about."

Haku turned around and cupped his cheek. "You don't need to be confident in conquering or saving the world. I'm just asking you to be confident in me. Can you do that?"

Naruto wanted to say yes. But if he said yes, they'd be hollow words, lies easily detected by Haku. After all that happened, he was having a considerably hard time putting faith in anything, anyone. The Will of Fire, Uzugakure, defeating the Akatsuki…even peace. Even himself. He wanted to. He wished he could be back as a child, naïve, ignorant but as confident as could be, before he had tasted the pain and betrayal of the real world.

"I'll…try," he concluded, struggling.

"A start," Haku replied. "I have something that might help you. Look over my right shoulder."

Naruto tilted his head, peering past Haku's and beheld shadow and shades of tall shapes and lofty figures. His mouth parted silently as through the weakening mist, he saw what could only be what he sought.

He urged the boat forward with much speed and enthusiasm. His journey and his pain had brought him to eastern shores and now spurred him on with the hope of reclaiming a city fallen from memory. He couldn't tell if this was a false shade or illusion but if it were reality and if closer inspection brought these vague shadows into existence, he would reclaim Uzugakure and discover the secrets it beheld.

Murky shapes materialized into abandoned stone. But it was real. And the closer Naruto got, the more surreal it became. His eyes blinked countless times trying to etch away any doubt that this was an illusion. He and Haku stayed in silence as they stared in awe at the majesty of this place. He'd thought his revisit to the Great Naruto Bridge would forever curse him from seeing a sight its equal. Naruto did not mind being wrong. Not in the slightest.

The city was of stone. Masterfully structured, much was broken and crumbled. But more stood as a testament to the eternal mark that Uzugakure left upon this world. The stone was crafted and chiseled into illustrations of wonder and near perfection in its grace. Faces of long-bearded philosophers and strong stout warriors marked the stone, their eyes still fierce with a fire that long since left this place. Naruto felt excitement and wonder build up in his chest. The boat was too slow. He wanted to see it, touch it. He leapt from the boat. His feet found the icy surface as Haku paved him a path of ice to the shore. He didn't exactly what spurred him to such thrill, but he ran all the same.

Haku ran after him, smiling. His sense of adventure was contagious and it graced Haku with contentment. They had made it to a city that had used all its efforts to hide itself. Naruto felt the ground beneath his feet as he stepped into this ancient city. The sight was tragic and marvelous. Craftsmanship and artistry greater than any he had every seen, decorated the stone and the marble and surface of the buildings. They had stubbornly resisted the timeworn malady of old age and stood proud and tall, greater than the face of any Hokage monument.

"Haku, look at this place!" Naruto exclaimed. "Have you seen anything like it?"

"I don't think there's a place on earth to match it," Haku murmured, awestruck.

Naruto ran his hands across the delicately crafted masonry. He felt like his fingertips brushed against something that went beyond stonework. It wasn't just the city. It was a legacy and memory.

"They've been gone a long time," Haku whispered. "But I don't think any nation has caught up with Uzugakure yet."

Naruto's pride in Konoha couldn't help but concede this point to Haku. The merchants had said Uzugakure was an ancient city, predating Konoha, the 5 Great Nations and even the Sage of the Six Paths. The roads were empty. The buildings were silent and the stone echoed no voices save for Naruto's. There was no life left in this city. And yet, even in this discomforting seclusion he felt the essence of the city, years after souls had parted from it. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine Uzugakure, bustling with energy and music and culture and happiness. Naruto stood still, breathing in through his nostrils, taking in the substance of this city.

Haku touched his shoulder tenderly. "Have you forgotten why you're here?" she asked him gently.

Naruto sighed. "If only I could. This place is nice."

"This place is dead," she observed, bluntly. "Dead things can deceive you. Living things are nice."

Naruto felt like agreeing with her but simply standing here in a city far beyond the years of even Konoha's founder, it was a sublime feeling indeed, more so because Naruto couldn't pinpoint exactly why. The mystique of Uzugakure did not fade even as he walked through its very streets. No, this wasn't a deception. No genjutsu would be strong enough to pervert the majesty of this city.

The first sign of life had been blasted at Naruto without any of the subtleties that Uzugakure possessed. A roaring sound, deafening and somewhat familiar, rushed through the corridors of Uzugakure and struck Naruto, so intensely that it lifted him from his feet and threw him several feet into the air. He landed less than gracefully. Haku was kneeling, having landed as well.

"That way!" Haku cried.

Naruto took off with Haku at his heels. He had sworn that he had heard that monstrous cry before. It had broken the tranquility and Naruto was anxious to see what lurked in this city still.

He crossed a stone bridge over a bright blue river. Naruto's gaze travelled down the river into a large pond within the heart of the city. In the middle of the pond stood a lone stone structure with roof and pillars but no walls in between. There, Naruto saw a man, sword in hand, and another laying still before the blade.

"Smart of you, coming here," coughed the older swordsman. "Even I was nearly taken by the whirlpools."

"Yes, that was the general idea," panted Ichiku, the Hozuki Swordsman of the Mist.

The many days of pursuit had tired him but it was his sensei's skill that had him laying on his back. He looked for his blade but it was in his sensei's hand, the blade now pointed at his chest. Ichiku looked curiously into his sensei, trying to surmise his intentions. And when he did, the wounds on his body and the exhaustion of his stature vanished from his mind and he merely grinned and laughed loudly and wildly. The now jovial Legendary Swordsman could hardly contain the shrieks of laughter.

"You, rascal, sensei!" laughed Ichiku, all peril of his position now lost. "You actually had me convinced! Hahaha! You actually convinced me that you had finally stopped being a fool! But no, no, no…you, my dear sensei are a sneaky little fool, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes. You actually think that by killing me and the others, you'll restore what? Your dignity? Your honor? Fictional abstractions and a paltry fairytale I'll say! There's no honor, no dignity. There's only the honest and those who pretend otherwise!"

The sensei raised both his sword and his student's. The tips of the blades, poised to strike and pierce the chest of the Hozuki who had no more tricks to play. Ichiku could turn to water no more. He was defeated.

"I yield," cackled Ichiku, hysterically. "I give up! I'm unarmed, hahaha! Is your pathetic honor going to stay your blade?"

"I lost my honor long ago."

The sensei thrust both blades at once into the chest of Ichiku Hozuki. The legendary ninja laughed for but a few more seconds and then his chest heaved once. His body slacked and his eyes dimmed. And before his sensei had removed the blade, the student was dead.

Naruto could not hear, but only witnessed what his mind screamed as murder. Blood ran down the stony steps and polluted the blue water with thin colored crimson. Before Haku could stop him, Naruto was sprinting at the assailant, kunai in one hand, a Rasengan in the other.

The standing swordsman was deep in thought and only just noticed the charging Naruto moments before they had made contact. With great flexibility and speed, the swordsman brought his own sword to crash with the kunai, halting its path and used his free hand to grab the wrist of Naruto's Rasengan hand. He used Naruto's momentum to toss Naruto over his head.

"You attack me without cause," the swordsman commented. "Do it again, and I'll consider you my enemy."

"My cause is _him_!" Naruto pointed. "You just killed a man who had surrendered and was unarmed!"

"A true Legendary Swordsman of the Mist is never unarmed, not even while without sword or on his back."

"Naruto!" cried Haku. She started making hand signs.

Naruto eyes drifted to Haku for only a moment. But the keen swordsman followed his gaze and looked over his shoulder to see what had caught Naruto's attention. And suddenly, Haku had become his target. The very thought of that gave Naruto more motivation than he thought he'd ever had. With energy brimming in his legs, he pushed off the surface of the water and soared towards the swordsman, who now had his back turned. He was within striking distance now. Naruto raised his fist but felt his diaphragm nearly collapse as he suffered a straight kick to the stomach by a vigilant swordsman. He felt the breath leave his body.

Naruto exploded into smoke before the swordsman. And underneath the swordsman, the water exploded as well as Naruto proper surfaced, his fist extended. But the swordsman evaded that with too much elegance to have been a quick reaction. Naruto recovered, and decided to dispel one of his clones atop the mountains of Myobokuzan. Orange rings lit beneath his eyes and Naruto saw the swordsman's eyes turn to shock. Giving him no time to react, Naruto launched a kick, now enhanced and with terrible power, at his foe, who blocked it with a forearm. Despite that, Naruto's foe was sent flying back. He touched back on the water with his feet, but now held his forearm tenderly.

"Interesting," murmured the swordsman.

Haku finaly acted, sending a flurry of frozen water needles, a barrage of icicles at the swordsman hardly even noticed. Rather he leapt over Haku's attack, bringing his sword to bear, a single side unsheathed. He was headed to Naruto. Naruto blocked the side of the blade with his own forearm and was shocked at the fact that the blade had cut him and that his blood now flowed slowly down the sword of this swordsman.

Naruto ignored the cut and threw another powerful kick at his opponent's head. Again, the swordsman blocked with his forearm. However this time, Naruto's kick was halted and the swordsman was not thrown back. Naruto's eyes retreated from his opponent's blocking arm and travelled to the man's face. There, beneath his opponent's eyes, shone rings of blue.

"Did you really think you were the only sage?" asked the swordsman, expecting no answer.

Naruto leapt back, shocked and bade his icy comrade join him. Haku leapt back to Naruto's side.

"He has your eyes," Haku whispered.

"I know," Naruto replied, eyes fixed on his foe.

"Who are you?" he called loudly.

The swordsman smirked, lowering his weapon. "Calmed down have we? Are you ready to talk before brash action overcomes you?"

"Start with a name," Naruto demanded. "…then we'll see if we can understand one another."

"Your master was light on manners I take it," the swordsman spoke. "You attacked me first and without cause. I believe I should ask of your name before I grant you my own."

Naruto had to refrain from showing a grin. Jiraiya had many qualities. He wouldn't list "refined" as one of them.

"You're an intruder," Naruto accused.

"It's an odd thing," the swordsman mentioned. "To have such pride in a land you're stranger to."

Naruto had no answer to that. Half of what he was doing, he couldn't explain himself either. Haku nudged him. She gave him an annoyed stare.

"What's wrong with just giving him your name?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged at her. He turned to the swordsman. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha."

Naruto thought he saw the swordsman stiffen. A flying object caught Naruto's gaze from the corner of his eye. A flying black object whizzed past Naruto's ear into the hand of the swordsman. It was the other sheath of his sword, which he used to fully sheath both ends of his sword.

"Well met, Naruto Uzumaki," the swordsman stated, without the intention of hostility. "I suppose not so much a stranger after all."

"We didn't catch your name," Haku called.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Who are you?"

The rings beneath the swordsman's eyes had disappeared and Naruto could see him contemplating a response. The swordsman raised his head and looked at Naruto.

His voice was low and solemn. "I am the founder of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." There wasn't the slightest hint of joy in his tone. "I am responsible for the ruin of this city…and of my own."

The words were almost spat out with no love. The swordsman sighed heavily.

"My name is Yagura, Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure."

OOO

"Byakugan!" Neji cried silently.

Time itself seemed to slow down and Neji reacted as quickly as he could, the neurons in his head firing around madly. He had to see if anyone was nearby. He couldn't let anyone see what he was about to do.

"Neji!" Sakura cried. "Tsunade-sama! She's-"

Neji lunged for Sakura, grabbing her mouth and holding it closed, in an iron grip with one hand. Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Hokage had awoken. Before even she could react, Neji had lunged and placed his other hand on the Hokage in similar fashion. Both pair of eyes went wide in confusion, shock and betrayal.

Neji knew in his heart that he was going to regret this. But he had come too far. The gears were already in motion.

There was no turning back.

OOO

Shikaku Nara looked at his chessboard somberly. Ever since his son had gone off to war, he hadn't a player to match him. What was worse, every time the old Nara played, he imagined his son as one of the pieces, on the frontlines, fighting, and able to die. The skilled chess player found himself protecting his knight, a strategy no decent chess master would have ever approved. And for good reason. Shikaku lost many games by protecting his knight. The king fell, but Shikaku was merely glad that this one piece still stood standing.

"Shikaku!" said his friend sharply. "Are you listening?"

"I heard you Inoichi," muttered the Nara clan leader. "But hasn't it occurred to you that the Mizukage was lying? What better way to weaken a target's defense then to have it start questioning its leader and instigating internal strife?"

"I have thought about that," retorted Inoichi. "But from what I could gather from my technique, if the Mizukage was lying, she'd have had to be nothing short of a Yamanaka to fool my jutsu. And there's just something…authentic about her hatred of Danzo. I'm telling you, Shikaku, something happened between him and Kiri."

"And what of it?" Shikaku countered. "He is the Rokudaime Hokage, Inoichi. He is the leader of our village and likely the strongest shinobi that Konoha has. What good will come of digging up his past?"

"If I am ordered to kill, wage war and fight, I'd like to know that the one ordering me has a good reason for doing so," Inoichi growled. "There's too much surrounding Danzo that no one knows about. Do we even know how he was crippled? And regardless, he may not be the strongest…Tsunade-sama is still…"

"Regardless if Tsunade wakes or dies, Danzo has been sworn in. He holds the title now," Shikaku, stated tiredly. "And now is not the time to question our leader. Not when he is engaged at the first Shadow Summit in history."

"Has age dulled your mind, old friend?" chuckled Inoichi. "Surely you can't think something good will come of this."

"At first, yes," admitted Shikaku. "I was as pessimistic as you were when I heard about the Raikage's proposition for a gathering of the Kage. But…but…I can't help but hope. The world is changing, my friend. Times have changed. Leaders have changed. Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I believe that these petty power politics can change as well. While we've never had a gathering of Kage, never have we faced a threat as looming as the Akatsuki. Maybe this time can be different. Maybe Kage and village and country can be set aside and we can unify to defeat the Akatsuki. And who knows…maybe peace. Maybe the nations cooperating is possible. Maybe…just maybe…"

A messenger bird shrieked loudly as hit flew in threw the window with stunning haste. Shikaku read the message written in large deliberate letters exuding the gravity that the contents held. His heart plummeted and he swore as loudly as he could.

**THE RAIKAGE IS DEAD**

**THE MIZUKAGE AND TSUCHIKAGE HAVE BEEN INJURED**

**IWA AND KUMO MOBILIZE AGAINST EACH OTHER**

**WE ARE FLEEING SOUTH TO KONOHA**

**ALERT THE NINJA RANKS**

**WAR HAS BEGUN**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: This chapter was not easy to write. I had to revise it many times to try to get it to flow better. Hope you like it. Please read and review.**

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><p>"How…how can you live with yourself?" croaked Anko. Her throat was so raw and sore from her painful screams. Her lips were dry and cracked and a thin trail of blood ran down her back from her neck.<p>

"The sadist of Konoha is upset with a little torture?" Kabuto laughed openly. "At least this is for a purpose. We are a lot more similar than you think, Anko-chan."

Anko weakly tried to spit out the blood in her mouth. But even that was a too strenuous task. It came out as drool and saliva mixed with blood.

She struggled to lift her head up to him. "I'm not like you," she said weakly. "I could never do what you did to me…not to anyone. It's…you're…unforgivable."

Kabuto grabbed her chin and forced her to look at his spectacled and amused face. "You know, I had always hoped that we would have understood each other better. We shared the same master, some of the same techniques, and the will…the will to prove ourselves. You do this by distancing yourself from Orochimaru. I did this by embracing and improving his works. And now I'm standing here and you're chained there."

Anko didn't reply. She feared any response would give her even more pain. Kabuto smiled, satisfied by Anko's submission. He stood up and made to leave. Before doing so, he playfully slapped Anko's neck. And even he winced a tiny bit when the bloodcurdling scream filled the room.

OOO

"There are a lot of birds," Neji noted absentmindedly to no one.

Indeed, Neji had never seen a Konoha sky as crowded as it was now. Birds were flocking to and fro the Hokage tower. They were messenger birds of that, Neji was certain. They flew like real birds but their chains rested in the thin messages they carried on their talons.

Something large had happened, Neji surmised. And he'd bet his life that it had something to do with the Shadow Summit.

His Byakugan was active and he casually watched the latest flock of birds, black like a dark plume pushing through the clouds. Even with a casual glance of his Byakugan, Neji was able to ascertain the bird's origin. These were Kumo bred. Neji held many suspicions. Over the past hour, the amount of messenger birds wasn't the most bizarre thing. The sheer amount of different birds was what caught Neji's attention. They weren't all coming from Kumo. Birds of all the lands flocked to the Hokage tower. Konoha was calling in all its spies.

The power of Neji's Byakugan saw everything even as his mind was saddled with worries and misgivings. The birds of this flock were odd. There was something…amiss with these birds. Neji wished he could watch the birds more closely, but he had problems of his own, problems that reeled his head from the clouds.

"_You are truly gifted."_ Hiashi Hyuuga had once said to Neji. _"You see more than any of us."_

Neji sighed. He was on his back in a grassy field. His gift was active as it had been ever since he had left the tent. He had fought many battles but never before had his gift saved him as much as it had this time. He bit his tongue. It was too soon to conclude that he had been saved.

He had once counted 7 birds where there were 8. Had he done so again? Had he missed something? Had someone seen him? Were they even now reporting his actions to the village? Were people on their way to bring him to justice as he laid in the grass?

His eyes continued to see but his mind had drifted back into unpleasant thoughts. He found himself travelling back through his memories already to past hours in the morning while he was in the Hokage tent. Neji had no delusions. What he had done would probably reshape the course of the rest of his life. If any one found out, they would call it treason. And they would be right.

Neji began sweating again. His heart raced at a rapid pace. He had spent his afternoon calming himself down from the events of the morning but already, his disposition for calmness failed him.

"It couldn't be helped," Neji told himself quietly, trying to calm his own unrest. "It couldn't be helped. They had already written her off as dead anyway. I had to do it. I had to! She forced my hand! She sealed her fate the very moment she woke up. Konoha wouldn't have survived this. I did the right thing. I…I did the right thing. Didn't I?"

His Byakugan saw a figure in the distance. Subtly, he reached for a kunai within his robes, wrapping his fingers around it and grasping it tightly. He wasn't afraid. He was determined. He already had Konoha blood on his hands. A little more wouldn't damage him anymore than he already was.

"Neji!"

Neji's head snapped towards the figure after hearing the familiar voice. He identified it and breathed easy. He resumed his previous position, now more annoyed alongside his anxiety.

"Go away Tenten," he shouted. "Now isn't a good time."

"Now's the only time," Tenten retorted. "What? You think I don't know?"

Neji froze up. He was almost afraid to ask. "What?"

"Your hand," Tenten pointed. "I know you didn't get that from a tough fight, at least not with another person."

Neji almost laughed upon the revelation. "This?" he raised his hand. "This is nothing, don't worry about it."

"You need to stop acting like this isn't a big deal!" Tenten cried. "People don't bust open their hands for no reason! If it's Hinata…we can-"

"I told you, I'm fine," Neji hissed." And this, this is the least of my concerns right now."

"You're not fine," Tenten softly replied.

Neji turned away, frustrated with his partner. "You don't need to worry about me, Tenten. I'm doing enough of that for the both of us. Anyway…hey, have you noticed the birds lately? Do they look strange to you?"

"Damn it, Neji!" cried Tenten, exasperated. "I didn't come here to talk about birds!"

Neji turned his head back to the clouds. "Well...a lot of people are about to."

OOO

"Anything!" Shikaku bellowed with all his might. "Give me something!"

"We still don't know anything!" cried Homura.

"I don't care if we empty the whole damned nest!" roared Shikaku. "We need information! We need Danzo's location to rendezvous! If his message is right and 3 Kage have been injured, one beyond saving, Danzo might very well be being pursued as we speak! Find out! How did this happen? Send the damned birds! We need intel now!"

"We must deploy the ANBU!" shouted Koharu.

"Without a location, it'd be a blind chase and a waste of men," snapped Inoichi. "Our hands are bound until we know the Hokage's location or his return path."

"There's no way he'd ever reveal that in a message," Homura yelled back. "Not with all that's happened! He can't risk the message being interception and his position being compromised!"

"I need more birds!" Shikaku boomed. "I need messages sent to any teams we have near the 5 Nations borders! I want reports on enemy movement! And until we receive information otherwise, we have to assume Iwa, Suna, Kumo and Kiri are all hostile states. Get the birds in the air and get me those reports. Call on the ANBU ranks! Put them on high alert, ready to deploy on a moments notice! If we see movement along the border, we need to react immediately!"

"What's the size of Iwa and Kumo mobilization?" Koharu demanded. "Send a bird to our contacts in the area. We need to know if they're serious!"

"The Sage himself wouldn't believe this," Inoichi spoke. "This is absolute madness! A single message has just thrown the entire world into chaos!"

"I was a fool for thinking this would end well," Shikaku berated himself. "Alert the Fire Daimyo of the situation. Tell him Konoha recommends he mobilize the Feudal Guard. He has a standing force of 8000 men. If worst comes to worst, we'll need them more than ever."

Papers were flying. People were roaring. Birds were screeching. And chaos ensued with no intention on letting up. And the cruelties continued. An ANBU ninja had appeared beside Inoichi, gravely whispering in his ear. The Yamanaka clan head stiffened at the words and dropped the messages he had in his hand. Amidst the commotion, Shikaku took notice.

"Oh god," Inoichi whispered.

"What is it?" demanded Shikaku. "What happened?"

Inoichi parted his mouth slowly. "Tsunade-sama…she's…."

He spoke the words but Shikaku couldn't believe them. His knees shook as he struggled to stay upright. The world had come crashing down upon their heads. Konoha was in flames. They didn't know where Danzo was. Shikaku had to shake his head violently to part Tsunade from it. Ill thoughts such as those had to wait. Right now, the world had been set to war.

OOO

"You're the Mizukage?" Naruto gasped.

"Was," corrected Yagura, dryly. "To Kiri, I'm a forgotten blemish. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I disgraced myself and I left. To those who knew, I told them to speak of me as dead. Because I am. There is no life in me now, only the desire to correct my mistakes."

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

Yagura motioned to the still bleeding body. "I'm here only because my chase led me here. I have…business with my old students. This place…it brings back bad memories."

Naruto felt an inexplicable resentment towards the swordsman who called himself Yagura. Haku placed a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.

"So you destroyed this city?"

Yagura turned away. His face was still youthful but his eyes showed all the ages of the world. "I did."

"Why?" demanded the Jinchuuriki, angry and livid.

"Don't start again, Naruto," Haku cautioned him. "He's a Kage."

"A _disgraced_ Kage, Haku," Naruto corrected.

Yagura raised an eyebrow. "Haku?"

"Yeah," Naruto challenged, testily.

"Naruto, don't," Haku nudged him.

"Haku Yuki," the blonde repeated, pointing to her. "She used to follow Zabuza. You gonna try to kill her too?"

Unconsciously, Naruto had positioned himself between Haku and Yagura. Yagura still wore a strange look on his face. It lasted several moments. He resolved it but his eyes continued to bear an enigmatic description.

"Curious…" he murmured. "…Don't worry. I bear your companion no ill will."

"You asked me why I did this to this city. And the simple reason is because I was ordered to," Yagura stated. "And I was weak…too weak to stand up to my superior…to weak to crush the small yearning of conquest that festered deep within me. No doubt you seek answers, Uzumaki. And after all I've done to you and this city, I feel obliged to indulge you. But understand this, Naruto, Kiri is not Konoha. There was no predisposition to stability. We didn't have some herald like your Shodai Hokage to shepherd us. We had to find our own way there through blood."

Haku suddenly gripped Naruto's arm tightly. Her eyes welted, as she struggled to compose herself. "The Bloodline Purges," she whispered.

Yagura ignored her, wrapped up in his own tragedy. "I cannot guarantee that you will not hate me once my tale is done, Uzumaki," said Yagura. "But know that none hate me more than I hate myself."

Naruto sat and listened. Haku sat as well, her arm locked in his, already foreboding this account that would touch her too closely. Yagura sighed heavily and began.

"Your first Kage…he did more than found a village," Yagura murmured. "He established a culture of tolerance and understanding. Those with kekkei genkai in your village are revered, no? They are praised and accepted. Yet in the east…things are different. The Bloodline limits were not gifts but curses. They are hunted and prosecuted. There has always been blood and chaos in Kiri and no matter the era it always comes in the form of the lineless fearing those with powers imbued through blood."

Yagura closed his eyes. "I was a young boy and for the first few years of my life, there was stability. The last Bloodline Purge had ended a while past and many believed it to be the last of these transgressions. But on my tenth year, they began anew. Peopled had profited from this peacetime. Clans grew and flourished into proud organizations. And in a single instance, the hateful will of the masses turned them into fleeing prey and hiding victims. There was blood and death everywhere."

Haku turned away. Naruto wrapped his arm comfortingly around the shaking ice-user. This man's words melted the frozen wasteland that Haku had buried her memories under.

"Ninja sold out their bloodline comrades. Children sold out their friends. Even spouses turned on their partners. It sickened me. The hatred for people who were merely different could not be justified no matter how many times it happened or how many people supported it."

Yagura held his sword in one hand and balanced his student's blade on the other. "And so, I grew older and more determined. I sought out people to end this cycle. I found a boy who had strength and chakra greater than the sea itself. I found a lad who could turn himself to water. Another I discovered had the ability to turn water to ice. There was also a girl that could alter light without any effort at all and another boy whose eyes could see all. A small whelp I also found with astonishing extrasensory abilities. And lastly, I found a boy who could turn his bones to weapons and rock hard steel."

"The seven swordsmen," Naruto concluded.

"Yes. They were orphans, beggars or hated children near the edge of their lives or sanity. I took them in. I shielded them from the coldness of the outside world and assured them that they had a place and a purpose with me. I taught them to become strong. I taught them to be loyal to the Mizukage and to the village. I…I thought that if people could just see my students and how strong they were despite whatever power they had in their blood, people would look past these mutations and accept the bloodline limits. I loved my students and I needed Kiri to love them to….to see them as they were, ninja of Kirigakure, not simply monsters and mutants."

Naruto wondered what would have happened if Yagura was from Konoha. Would have taken Naruto away from the orphanage and protect him from the disdainful stares of the villagers? Haku also pondered this, wondering what had went wrong and why she hadn't had the future Yagura had promised.

"It wasn't easy," Yagura spat. "The damned Third Mizukage did everything to halt my efforts. The only time he finally acknowledged my students was when he gave my students and I a mission – the most important one any of us had ever undertaken. Destroy Uzugakure. That was our charge and a tall one at that. Many had tried and all had failed. The nigh impregnable city had been the deaths of many ambitious warriors. I wanted so badly to prove my students…to stop the Bloodline Purges. I accepted, knowing that I'd be destroying the pinnacle of civilization, a place so far advanced in culture and all manner of shinobi disciplines that it put us all to shame. "

"And how did such a great city fall?" Naruto almost growled out.

"I haven't the heart to recount it to you," Yagura said. "But the proof is before your eyes, Uzumaki. 8 swordsmen infiltrated the city and razed it…its knowledge, its citizens…its life. And then it was over. We conquered the city and returned to Kirigakure to the celebration of all. I thought I had finally won my students peace and acceptance.

Yagura's gaze turned cold. "But I had been deceived all along. My mind had not been my own. It had been penetrated so delicately and deeply that I could have lived my whole life without ever having known it. A genjutsu of unfathomable intricacy." Yagura paused and looked up at Naruto. "No doubt you're tenant must have already alerted you to this. I was the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi, the three-tailed monster."

Naruto's sheer shock betrayed him and he tried to appear unmoved but to no avail. Naruto wasn't keen on letting this man know that his seal had been frozen and that Naruto had been cut off from all the Kyuubi, including the demon's insights. Naruto winced slightly and had to keep his hand from drifting to his seal. The Kyuubi was acting up inside of him. He could almost feel his seal, rattling restlessly to the perversions of the captive within. The Kyuubi had been excited.

"The Sanbi Jinhuuriki," Haku whispered, amazed and terrified.

"He knew that I had been placed under a genjutsu," Yagura continued. "And only my will forced him to tell me the truth."

"Then who did it?" Naruto asked, darkly. "Who tricked you into sacking Uzugakure?"

"My superior," Yagura mourned. "The Sandaime Mizukage. He had manipulated my mind so craftily that even I did not know my mind was not my own. But you know the worst part, Uzumaki? I think…I think I would have done it anyway. That was the worst part."

He stood up and hid his face from the listening pair. His fists gripped the delicate handles of the two swords as if they were relics. Naruto was rubbing his stomach tenderly now, knowing that even if he wanted to, he hadn't the strength to stand up angrily again.

"I wanted to prove that they weren't monsters," Yagura grimaced. "So much so, that I became more a monster myself with this act. My people cheered. Their long-standing rival had been displaced from their throne of supremacy. But I had bought love with death. The lives of countless innocents had been bartered for my student's admiration. I would have sacked the city with or without the Mizukage's treachery. But the fact that he did in fact ensnare me led me to confront him. We battled and I struck his arm deeply with my blade. He vanished and somehow, I was left with office of Mizukage."

"If you hate me, it would be deserved," Yagura spoke. "I've earned it. And if we had met a year ago, I would have gladly submitted myself to your judgment however merciful or cruel it would be. But I have grown wiser, at least somewhat in my late days. Fate gives me a final opportunity, not to claim glory and honor. Those things I will never have. But I do have the chance to correct my mistakes and end the monsters I have bred. I will not die until that day comes."

"You have heard my story, Uzumaki. Now tell me yours."

Naruto spoke and Yagura listened, intently. He hung upon Naruto's every word, almost as if Yagura owed him it. Haku also, marveled and listened to the tales of Naruto Uzumaki, many of which he had neglected to tell her on their journey. Naruto felt as if he had talked for years. His account left him tired, weary by the effects of his own life. He had half the mind to just stay here in this abandoned city and live the rest of his days without the turmoil of the outside world, the politics of Kage, the wars of countries or the malice of the Akatsuki. His thoughts mixed with the pain of his seal. It was throbbing terribly.

_"He knows nothing of the city…or its people_" Yagura remarked.

To Yagura's understanding, this boy definitely didn't look the type but his attitude made up for it.

_"I killed his family and destroyed his home_," Yagura thought bitterly. _"And he is a Jinchuuriki like me. The very least I can do is help him here."_

"I can't help you directly, Naruto," Yagura said. "And I cannot linger here long. My path lies with my remaining students and if the hunt is abandoned for too long, I will lose them again. I will give you what guidance I can, however. In the night of the infiltration, a man approached me, holding neither shield nor sword. He walked down the steps of a temple to me. He looked sternly at me and he said to me that No degree of time, would ever wash away my sins. He told me that the people of this city would remember what I'd done. And one day, I would not be able to escape their wrath."

"When all was done, I went back to the temple," Yagura noted sourly. "But it was empty and I could not find him again. If you intend to cure yourself, Naruto, you'd best look there. It is the highest building in Uzugakure bordering the west wall. Pass the bridge and the guardian towers. You will find it adorned with the symbol you bear on your back."

Naruto rose, unsteadily. He had been sweating profusely. He felt very strange. A dark feeling was pooling in his stomach. It had started the moment Naruto had caught sight of Yagura. It jumped in his gut when he realized he was sitting across a fellow Jinchuuriki. The freezing seal was failing him. He staggered in Yagura's directions, Haku supporting him with an arm over her shoulder.

Naruto stopped suddenly. He lowered his eyes. "How long were you a Jinchuuriki?"

"Twenty-four years."

"Did it get better? The…the crashing and howling and the voice making sure you never get a moment's rest? Did all the…havoc go away?"

The older man didn't answer for a while. "No."

And wordlessly, Yagura slipped away.

Naruto fell to one knee. He felt very spread, in a way no one ever should. It was as if the forces of the universe were each puling him in different directions. He wondered if this was what it felt like to eventually fade out of existence. He looked down at his body, half expecting it not to be there.

"Naruto, get up," Haku pleaded, grabbing his arm and hoisting in on her shoulder once more. "You got to get up. We can make it to the temple."

Naruto merely grunted. The cold and warm feeling of Haku's touch raised him slowly to his feet and he dragged one foot in front of the other. It felt almost as if he wasn't even here. It felt like the last remnants of a dream before one woke up. It teetered the line of reality and dreamscape. Naruto wondered if he'd wake up in the next few moments to find himself behind the bars of the Kyuubi's psyche.

"I thought it was okay," Haku panicked as she forced Naruto to continue moving.

"I don't know what happened," Naruto wheezed. "I…think…the Kyuubi. It saw a Jinchuuriki empty of a host. It sees the possibility of freedom. He's doubled his efforts, Haku! I can feel it. His teeth are grazing my mind. Those blood red eyes…they're on me. My head…Everything feels wrong…he's messing with my seal…my…_me!_"

"We'll make it," she promised him. "Have some faith in me. I'll get you to the temple if it's the last thing I do."

Naruto could think of nothing but one step after the other. Marveled stone faded into cursed journey. All wonder of his external world vanished and the only thing that could capture his mind was his internal realm of torment and the inescapable whips cracking over his head. He wished it was something he understood. It was pain, but never the type he could have ever described to anyone. It hurt and tortured and devastated him beyond anything a blade could do. But it couldn't make him bleed or bruise or welt. He staggered and breathed hard but not from imbalance or winded lungs.

The crashing was getting worse. The wild shrieks intensified beyond anything Naruto had yet heard. Deep within his mind, a golden gate stood worn and battered but intact. And it enclosed a dark endless chasm, with an evil so unforgiveable, people would rather not know. But that malice took form in red eyes and bared teeth. It flung itself and all the might and malevolence it commanded against the gold doors. It screamed and shook the bars, the horrible sound echoing down the halls. It made noises so ungodly Naruto was shaken to his core. It was something more wicked than any craft or idea man could possess. It was simple hatred, bereft of reason or cause. It pooled in Naruto's mind, screaming and screaming and screaming. And almost a beacon to the apocalypse it rang with the devil's toys.

Once upon a time, four years ago, Naruto was shoved off a cliff. He fell into the abyss with only the hope of summoning a frog to save him from the hellish end that wished to take him. He had delved into his mind and saw that evil, unnatural and accursed. So much was it inexpressible and beyond understanding, Naruto remembered afterwards that he had conversed with the fox, that they had exchanged words and came to an agreement between man and beast.

But now, with the might of the Kyuubi being thrown will all force against Naruto, he realized that it had never happened. His young mind had fabricated that scenario to make sense of an entity so far beyond comprehension. How had he taken the power? What were the Bijuu? With the full weight of one, crushing Naruto into the ground, he knew at least, he had never spoken with the Kyuubi. In fact, he knew that to be impossible now. No ear could ever withstand or perceive the indiscernible screeches into words.

The Bijuu. Man had given name to such a thing impossible to understand. It wasn't creature, or beast or even demon. They were altogether beyond comprehension and all manner of resolve. It's shrieks and cries echoed things not of this world.

Naruto could keep his pace up no longer. He couldn't even lift his eyes to see where he was within the city. Every step he took, closer to his goal, the spasm of pain and torture reeled his mind to the brink of insanity. The noise was more painful and more destructive than any word Naruto could use. The pain erupted even if he couldn't physically feel it. The feeling was so peculiar and indescribable and unbearable that he collapsed. He wanted to scream but the pain would persist. His stomach was enflamed. He wanted to gut his stomach but the pain would persist. The pain and curse that tormented him was not of this physical nature.

"I can't!" Naruto screamed. "I…I can't keep going. I can't."

Haku knelt down beside him. She was panicked and beyond alarmed. She held him in her arms as he twitched and moaned. She tried to calm the both of them, stroking his hair and cooing him, glad Naruto could not see the tears rolling down her pale face.

"It's okay," she whispered. "It's all going to be okay. Just a little bit more, Naruto. We're almost there. You just need to have a little faith in me. Come on, you can do this. We can do this."

"I can't," Naruto voiced, barely audibly. "I can't, Haku." His voice was trailing into madness. "I don't have the strength, Haku."

"I do!" Haku yelled at him, desperately. "Don't give up on me, Naruto. We can make it. We're so close. We've come so far already! We can't just give up."

He blinked and saw Haku's beautiful face. His eyelids closed. And he doubted he would ever open them again. Though he saw only darkness, somehow, it got even darker. Another screech was heard. If ever Naruto could have come any closer to understanding what the Kyuubi was, it was in this moment, where he knew if it felt anything at the moment, it was joy. The golden doors were spinning now. They were unhinged, rotating on an axis, stirring up a roaring draft. Neither party could cross but both were intently watching for which direction the golden doors were stop spinning. Was this seal that protected Naruto for so long, continue to face him? Or would the door spin round and his father's seal now forced to imprison Naruto?

He was fading. He could feel it. Even in his own sub-consciousness he was losing himself. It would be soon. At least the howling would end. Maybe then…maybe then he could have…it. And if the last thing Naruto ever saw was Haku, he couldn't be too upset.

"This is what it's like to die," Naruto said. "It's not so bad. In fact, I feel better than I have in ages. Well, dad, mom, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-sennin, I guess I'll be along shortly."

OOO

"Kumo forces are closing in to securing their borders," Ibiki reported. "If we don't make it to the border before they blockade it, we will be trapped in this Land."

"They want to make sure none of the Kage leave the country," Hiashi remarked. "They have more international leverage if they have the Kage for ransom, especially with the loss of their own…"

"All the more reason for us to leave with haste!" Ibiki urged. "We should return to Konoha at once."

"Not yet," Danzo said. "Before I return to Konoha I must seek counsel with the High Master of Yugakure."

"What business with the Land of Hot Springs is more important than getting back to Konoha? Ibiki questioned.

Danzo looked to Hiashi expectantly. "One of grave importance."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: The Naruto universe, I feel, lacks subtlety or at the very least, any real emphasis on intangible forces (beyond the typical love and hope). That's how the demons and the Bijuu are portrayed simply as big bad monsters with tails and familiar characteristics. The subtlety, I find does not lie in the size of the beast or his physical power that he imbues Jinchuuriki with. The subtlety I see lost is the very nature of the Bijuu as some manifestation of simple evil, something impossible to portray in a fox or a turtle or what have you.<strong>

**So don't expect to have any silly conversations with the Kyuubi or any real sense of partnership or engagement. The Kyuubi is simply supernatural with a much grander domain and an incomprehensible and limitless force.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: This is a very, very important chapter. I've been building up to this for a while. It probably went through six or seven revisions so I could try to make the dialogue right. Hope you enjoy! Please read and review.**

* * *

><p><em>He was standing on the bridge. Whiteness surrounded him. He had only the ground beneath his feet to assure he was right side up. He couldn't see anything, not the ground beneath his feet, not the path before himself. He looked up and saw white. He turned around and saw white. He stepped forward. He stepped into the white. He stepped to the side. He stepped into the white. He saw, moved and was only the whiteness of his world. There were no directions. There was no compass or bearing or sight.<em>

_He was afraid to move, afraid of the whiteness but most of all, afraid of what was behind it all. He felt a tingling sensation of cold and warm. He heard a voice from the white as he stood, rooted in place._

_ "Have some faith in me, Naruto," Haku whispered._

_ He wanted to. He wanted to follow her voice. He lifted one leg but before his step reconnected with the ground, he stopped and returned it to the previous position. He couldn't. He was afraid. He was afraid that in the blindness of the white, his next step could be his last. He could be sent tumbling over the bridge, or returning backwards or moving forward to somewhere he still didn't know._

_ "Have some faith in me," she reassured him._

_ But he couldn't trust her. He just couldn't. The whiteness was so thick_

_ "Where are you leading me?" he asked._

_ The warmth and coldness did not answer._

_ "You don't know, do you?" Naruto concluded. "I have no idea where I'm going."_

_ "I will lead you through the white," she whispered._

_ "Damn it, there is nothing BUT white!" Naruto angrily shouted. "It doesn't matter! It's all white anyway!"_

_ "Will you follow me?" Haku asked him. "Will you follow me as I followed you?"_

_ "Where?" he demanded._

_ The voice, cold and warm paused momentarily. "To whatever end."_

_ Naruto didn't even bother looking around for the source of the voice. He already knew. It came from the direction of the white._

_ "It's all white," he spat. "There is only one end."_

Naruto grumbled. He felt his body. It felt…full. It felt as it did before this mess. He moaned softly and tried to move his body but he was still weak. His dream was fading. Haku's voice was replaced with another, weak, frail and old.

"My child," the weak voice murmured. "What wonders have I been privy to? So strong is the legacy, but less strong the wielder. How great the monster but how great the power to tame it? What do you see, my child. What do you see?"

A groggy Naruto couldn't make sense of the cryptic babble being thrown at him. He tried to speak but it was almost as if he had forgotten how. The difficulty of learning a new action surpassed Naruto's desire for information. Where was he? Who was this man? This kept his attention as he drifted back into sleep, hoping, praying he would not face the white again.

_It was not white. There was no whiteness to be found. There was no light at all. It was a bottomless black. The darkness of all shadows, the night of all nights. The realm was covered in the invisible veil of shadow. Naruto felt no more comfortable here than he did in his other dream. It was…unnerving. He was expecting something. He didn't know what he was expecting, only that he knew something was missing. Something should have been here but wasn't._

_Naruto realized it wasn't just dark. It was void. _

_The darkness wasn't masking anything. There was nothing to illuminate. The chasm was empty. Under night skies, the realm stood silently. There was nothing here. Nothing for him._

_Suddenly, Naruto yearned for the abyss to fill. He wanted tears of blood. He wanted to see bright red and gold and violet. He wanted youthful grey and the graceful elder._

_But there was nothing for him._

_Here he stood, a man within a domain of nothingness. Loneliness couldn't even come close to describing what he felt. He was the only man in the world. And he felt he shouldn't be. Deep within him, he knew there were others, perhaps in a different expanse. But theirs was different. Theirs was full of things.  
><em>

_But not his._

"How far can man be pushed?" mumbled the voice. "What tall of an order is it and what monumental risks does it impose? Where is the hero without foe equal in design? It is pain that necessitates heroes. And it is pain that creates heroes. But it is pain that destroys heroes. My child, who is your foe? What is your pain?"

_Black fluttered around his eyes. Soft things brushed against his face and cacophonic sounds cawed to his ears. The world around him was strange, no…unreal. Even while dreaming, he knew something to be all the more strange here. The colors were lavish but wrong. They blended together. Red was also blue and orange and violet too. They were distinct but indistinguishable. He saw them and did not. This world was not real. This world was not even in the possibility of his dreams. This world was masterly created and tailored by its designer._

_The black flickers and intermittent brushes against his face began to annoy Naruto. He focused on them. They were crows, black as black and cawing as if there was a feast of dead waiting for them. And in their eyes, crimson. He cringed as something within him began fluttering. His jaw was forced open and out of it came a single black crow. It shrieked once upon freedom and split in half. The two new crows flapped their wings and fluttered around Naruto's head. They were birds but not in any form Naruto had ever seen them as. They were there and not, solid and liquid, specters and flesh_

_ The crow on his left reared its head and opened its beak. It cawed. "I've lost enough people."_

_ The crow on his right cawed. "I will protect my home."_

_ "What are you?" Naruto demanded._

_ "Providence," sang one._

_ "Travesty," sang the other._

_ The other crows were flying lazily overhead. The two beside Naruto held steady wings and he wondered how they were keeping themselves level. Their small beady eyes focused on him with red markings he was too familiar with._

_ "Which is it?" asked Naruto._

_ "You tell me," cried the crow._

_ "You tell me," mirrored the other._

_ "What's going on?" Naruto pondered. "Why are you in me?"_

_ "To aid you," sang the crow._

_ "To torment you," sang the other._

_ "Why won't you give me a straight answer?" Naruto fumed in frustration._

_ "What makes you believe that there is such a thing?" the crow shrieked._

_ Naruto paused, thinking of what to say. "Will you help me?"_

_ The two birds laughed. Whether or not birds could laugh or not, Naruto saw their big black beaks open wide with hearty hollers and shrieks of laughter coming forth. They madly flapped their wings now, each brushing against Naruto's face. Discarded black feathers fell far too slowly to his feat, forming almost a platform of material feathers around the ground's expanse of nothingness and pure the immaterial._

_ "Are you sure that's the question you want to ask?" cawed one crow._

_ "You stupid, stupid boy!" sang the other crow._

_ "What? What did I do wrong?" cried Naruto. "If you're here, why won't you help me?"_

_ "Your question is wrong," the crow simply replied._

_ "You, you, you," the other crow cawed. "You, you, you."_

_ "I don't understand!" Naruto shouted._

_ But the crows had stopped listening. The ones circling overhead had become impatient. They dove downwards, in a spiraling tornado of feathers, beasts and dark shadows. Naruto shielded his face from the hundreds of fluttering wings grazing against him. They cawed loudly and harshly. The flapping was getting louder and the cawing getting worse. The crows were latching on to him. Nothing here made sense, but he knew this world was not of his own creation._

_This was not his dream._

When Naruto came to, he was laying on marbled stone. It was etched beautifully with the most elegant of designs. Natural light poured in through the elaborate glass ceiling and strong sturdy pillars surrounded him, each with symbols that seemed vaguely familiar. Behind one pillar, a frail old man stepped forth, moving towards Naruto with unsteady steps and a great wooden walking stick. He was late in years and didn't seem like a threat. Naruto sat up slowly, waiting patiently for the old man and his snaillike pace.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Where am I?"

"There are few of you left," the old man grunted, almost as if he hadn't heard Naruto. "Far too few. Those who live forget their duties in cowardice. But not you. The shivering waters, the whispers in the wind, and our voices carried across land and lords, have summoned you here to fulfill the plight others have forsaken."

"I wasn't summoned by anyone," Naruto replied. "I came here because of…my condition…."

"Your secrecy is unnecessary," the old man spoke. "I nursed you back to health, back to this world, my dear boy. Your seal is true once more."

Naruto's suspicion teetered in his thoughts. "How did you…"

"The seal is our design. The gateway of your consciousness was erected and crafted through the ingenuity of this city and its people. The might of our people kept you safe. You came here in need, boy. But this city too, it came to you in need."

"I already told you, I wasn't called here," Naruto shrugged, getting to his feet slowly.

He felt somehow more complete. The feeling of his feet on the marble floor, the refreshing coldness as the crisp air filled his lungs, and the sounds of echoing voices across this forsaken hall all felt more real and more clear. It was as if his muffled world had finally returned to clarity. He was going to be okay.

"So you say," chuckled the old man. "But do you really believe your journey here and our meeting now was a coincidence? I do not think so. No, for someone who periled the waters of this city and voyaged so far, this is nothing short of fate. Tell me, boy, who has fate brought before me?"

Naruto still didn't understand the old man, but he had saved his life. Naruto owed the old man at least a name. He grinned at him.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he stated, head high and proud, "of Konohagakure!"

"O-oh," sighed the old man, with an aged voice of elation. He dropped his walking stick and gracefully sank to his knees. "I knew it. I simply knew it. Genes may hide you from the world but not from me. Oh my, dear boy…Oh my!"

Naruto approached the man, confused. "Are you okay old man?"

The old man looked up at Naruto with watering eyes and the largest of smiles. "Yes, dear boy. I'm better than I have been in 40 years. Oh, Naruto…oh Naruto! Ha, ha!"

With an agility unbefitting of his fragile being, the old man leapt to his feet and began laughing earnestly towards the sky. He kissed the pillars around him and under his breath whispered words of comfort to the stone.

"For over 30 years, I've waited," the old man nearly wept, in excitement. "I stood loyally here in the temple of the West Watch, always looking to the western lands, always hoping. And now it's so. The legacy of this city has returned. Naruto. Uzumaki. Fate has shown kindness to me."

"Wait a minute," Naruto held up his hands more perplexed than ever. "I don't understand what you're talking about. I just came here to fix my seal. What are you talking about?"

The old man dropped his arms and took a moment to register Naruto's voice. His mood had changed almost instantly. His disposition turned brisk. He seized Naruto by the collar and brought him close. Naruto could sense the old man's anger, his nostrils flared and the wrinkles in his brow deepened.

"Are you such a coward?" the old man shouted. "To turn from your duty? Your obligations? Who did I just save?"

"I'm sorry old man," said Naruto, backing away from him. "I…I don't know you. I'm a shinobi of Konoha. My duty lies with my village."

The man brought his hand to his bald head with slow comprehension. "Of course," he whispered.

"Um, did you see a girl when you saved me?" Naruto asked. "I…I had a companion with me. Is she nearby? Did you see-"

"Konoha!" bellowed the old man in a spiteful hatred, reserved only for the purest of revulsion. "Transgression upon transgression…no…no…no more…no it has gone on long enough…those days are over…show them…yes…no more."

"Then it is true," the man whispered. "Naruto, boy, you have been kept a fool. Where does your name come from?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well…my master Jiraiya named me."

The old man's head snapped to attention. "Jiraiya? But of course! And your mother and father, boy, who were they?"

"What's this all about," Naruto questioned, warily.

"Answer the question, boy!" pressed the old man with urgency. "How did you earn that name?"

"I…I don't know," Naruto answered. "Anyway, who cares? It's just a name."

"It's not just a name!" shouted the old man with surprising fervor. "It's a legacy. It's a relic of the most advanced people in the world. It's a symbol and birthright of those now dowsed in red. No, my dear Naruto, Uzumaki is not just a name."

"There are…others?" Naruto spoke slowly. "Other…Uzumaki?"

The old man grimaced and turned away. "Were," he corrected painfully. Let me ask you a question, dear boy. What do you know of the Uzumaki?"

Naruto said nothing. He had nothing to say.

"Do you know they were a proud people? A strong people? A just people? Do you know they ruled over Uzugakure for over a hundred years? And that under their rule, Uzugakure never faced war, disease or poverty? Do you know they were righteous enough to calm even the most turbulent of waters and whirlpools? Do you know the treachery that led to red legacy they left behind?" the old man spoke.

His mind was spinning now. It was hard to make sense of anything. There had been others like him. He had never thought much about his mother. He had been afraid of what he might find. He had never inquired about her, never asked around. Naruto had suspicions inside but didn't dare to affirm them. He wasn't scared that she was dead. He was scared that she was still alive. Naruto dashed any possibility of the truth if it could remotely lead to the conclusion that his mother was very much still alive. He could handle abandonment and spite by the villagers and his peers. But from one's own flesh and blood…that was another matter.

Naruto knew now he had family. His mother had family and her mother as well. There had been many Uzumaki once, he soon realized. They weren't so different than some clans. They were mighty large families. Naruto would have had cousins, grandparents, uncles, aunts, relatives…and family.

He had a place in this world, not forged through experienced or trials or earned respect. There had once been people to have him, with no expectations and no demands. His blood meant something. Irrespective of any and all things, he would have had a role he never had to fight for. He often wondered what it would have been like. How did it feel to have unconditional acceptance. He had friends. He had ties. But he had earned those. Nothing had ever been given. Naruto looked at his hands and realized that even if minutely so, they held intrinsic worth. He didn't need to chisel a statue or conquer a foe. He belonged simply for who he was, not for what he did. And strangely enough, despite not understanding the feeling entirely, Naruto felt a forceful desire to it.

Naruto hesitated. "N-no. I…no one ever told me…"

"Of course not," muttered the old man. "Konoha saw to your ignorance. They wouldn't want you to know the truth."

"What truth?" Naruto demanded, fully committed to what the old man had to say.

"The truth that would expose Konoha for what it really is. On top of their unyielding commitment to Uzugakure, the Uzumaki have a secondary prerogative they dutifully follow and have followed since the death of the Sage of the Sixth Paths."

Naruto's curiosity got the better of him. "What duty were they to follow?"

The old man took a deep breath. "To protect the Senju clan at all costs."

OOO

"So it has come to war," spoke the High Master of Yugakure.

"Indeed," spoke Danzo softly. "Even now, Kumo prepares to march against Iwa."

"Then what is to be done?" asked the leader of Yugakure. "What do we do?"

Danzo sipped his tea, thoughtfully. "Kumo will move fast, within the week, I'd imagine. Their ships are undoubtedly on the eastern shoreline to combat Kiri. Kumo cannot move press into Iwa through the Storm Bay that separates them. They have no ships positioned to do so. They will be forced to commit to a ground army and march through many northern countries to reach Iwa."

"Then they will demand passage through Yugakure," concluded the High Master. "I suppose my course is clear. Kumo is powerful, but leaderless. I will not allow foreign combatants to enter Yugakure, even as a means to pass into Iwa."

"No," spoke Danzo sharply. "You cannot deny passage to Kumo. A war may have begun, but it is up to you to prevent its spread. We cannot let this conflict spill into the rest of the world. We must contain the situation."

"Then what would you have me do Danzo?" snapped the High Master of Yugakure. "I am in a very difficult situation here. If I let Kumo forces freely enter my Land's territory, it is akin to surrendering any respect that Yugakure commands! That respect, by the way, is the only thing that has kept Kumo from invading us!"

Danzo's stare turned cold. "That, and Konoha."

The High Master fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Do not forget who graciously donated the funds to rebuild your ninja state," Danzo said. "Do not forget how you got to where you are, High Master."

"If I let Kumo into the Land of Hot Water, Kumo will see it as a sign of weakness. It is only inevitable that they will eventually annex us if we don't have the courage to oppose them."

"And if you don't let them in, they will crush and obliterate Yugakure," stated Danzo, flatly. "Read my lips. You _must_ contain the situation. If you throw yourself into this war out of pride, the rest of the world follows. You are the buffer state between the other Great Nations. Without neutral ground that separates the Great Nations, we will all be forced into this war. The world can't afford your pride right now."

"The world?" he asked. "Or Konoha?"

Danzo rose, slowly. "Careful, High Master. I understand the situation is less than preferable, but you should also understand. If you allow Kumo forces to march to war against Iwa, the Land of Lightning is emptied of ninja. There are no more significant forces in the country, should you allow them to pass. Allow them to march to war, and you will have no more Kumo ninja to threaten your village."

"And when they return?" the High Master asked.

Danzo began to exit the door. "Every war has its casualties. Kumo is no exception."

Danzo left the room and left the High Master of Yugakure with a difficult message to digest.

OOO

"T-the Senju?" Naruto repeated. "You mean like Tsunade-baachan? Or the Shodai Hokage?

"Oh yes. Before even your precious Konoha was born, an accord had been made between the Uzumaki and the Senju. Under influence and wisdom of the Great Sage of the Six Paths, the Uzumaki people committed and swore themselves to protect and defend the Senju. To safeguard the legacy of the Sage and to shield the last real hope for peace, the most honorable of people, the Uzumaki, rose to the call. The Uzumaki were bound to the Senju, you understand? A willing bond forged through courage, commitment and friendship. But it wasn't to last. No. The Uzumaki would soon discover that even the progenies of peace were capable of terrible, terrible things. With the generations, the true face of the Senju began to emerge. Over time, the Senju manipulated this bond to their political advantage."

"How…how come I've never even heard about this?" Naruto contested. "Hell, Shikamaru is the smartest person in Konoha and he never once mentioned anything about my name or the Senju or any of this! You might be lying or-"

"Of course you weren't told. Why would Konoha record a story that painted them as villains? For all the times that the Uzumaki came to the Senju's aid, how many times did the Senju come to your people's aid? None. Years before it was sacked, Uzugakure felt the eye of the Sharingan moving in the East. The Senju betrayed the Uzumaki, do you understand? After all they had done for the Senju! They gave the First Hokage the knowledge to control the Bijuu. They are even the reason why the Forth Hokage knew the complexities of time-space techniques even after they were gone! And what did the Uzumaki get in return? What did they get after countless pleas to Konoha to oppose Kiri's expansion? Konoha left Uzugakure to die! All because the Third Hokage was worried any action against Kiri would result in sanctions over the important waterway trading routes!"

"Now do you understand, Uzumaki, Naruto? Your beloved Konoha traded an eternally loyal friend for spices and herbs!" spat the old man. "They sold your people out, Naruto! The reason why you have no family, it's because of Konoha!"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Konoha wouldn't do that. The old man…the Third Hokage wouldn't have allowed that. He believed in…in peace, and justice and…and loyalty!"

"He believed in peace when peace was good for Konoha," gnashed the old man. "Above all else, your Third Hokage believed in the Will of Fire. Village above all else even honor, allies, friends…everything. He was taught by two Senju and trained another. After knowing this, just try to tell me that the Senju hadn't schemed against the Uzumaki! They had taken Uzumaki gifts, they had taken Uzumaki protection and the one time that the Uzumaki needed them most, the Senju, and the village they founded were nowhere to be found! All the appeals of the Uzumaki fell on deaf ears the minute the Senju realized it was no longer in their benefit. The Senju were men and women of a thousand talents. Deception was one of them."

"No!" Naruto rejected again. "You mean to tell me, that the founder of my village, the Hokage of my childhood…and even…even the woman I consider to be my closest tie…are you saying their involved in some conspiracy against my family?"

"Konoha isn't your home!" bellowed the old man, angrily. "_This_ is. Look around you Naruto. _This_ is your home. _This_ is your land. And _this_ is all that's left of the people who would call you family! The Senju took it away! Tsunade is many things. A fool isn't one of them. She knew. I'd bet my life she knew!"

"They…they wouldn't," Naruto struggled. "She wouldn't. He wouldn't. It's…it's not right. Konoha isn't like that. They can't be like that. Why…why are you telling me this?"

The old man gave Naruto a sad look. "Because I can't, in good conscience, let another Uzumaki die to the machinations of the Senju. We lost so many, so very many. And the years have not made that pain fade. Every moment is a reminder of their loss. Every bout of laughter and safe slumber Konoha enjoys was guaranteed at the expense of the Uzumaki! To serve the people who did this to you…it is reprehensible. Think of your master! Think of Jiraiya!"

"Wha…what about him?" Naruto demanded.

The old man drummed his fingers against the pillar at a steady tempo. "Don't you find it the slightest bit odd that Jiraiya's sudden proficiency in seals emerged from seemingly nowhere? Without the tutelage of a seals expert? Without a teacher?"

Naruto frowned. "Are you telling me…"

"His blood was diluted and never as strong as yours. But to trace his lineage is to know that his mother's father was of the Uzumaki people. He served a Senju trained Hokage! He served a Senju village! And for what? He's dead now! He died for those who left his own people for dead! Is that honorable? Is that just?" the old man was shouting at this point. "I say enough! No more Uzumaki blood will be spilt over Senju ploys!"

"I won't abandon my village!" Naruto exclaimed. "I have…friends there, people close to me. It's…it's all I have."

The old man motioned violently towards the great hall he stood in. "This is what you could have had, Naruto! Imagine this glistening city of stone, floating atop mystic waters. Imagine the stone, not grey with age but white and pure and lively. Imagine the streets, not empty but filled with people and life and vendors and businesses! Imagine the ponds and bridges where children would happily play around! This could have been your life Naruto! What you have in Konoha, is but scraps and leftovers! They robbed you of the most precious possession of all, a family, a home. If Konoha teaches justice, what is this?"

"But…" Naruto cried. "I…"

Naruto felt like his brain was about to melt. He could only experience so much in the span of this short period into Uzugakure. He wanted to claw at his ears and head, trying to make sense of or forget this new information. His world was falling apart at the seams. The threading that held it together, upon closer examination, was thin and tethered poorly with rotted string. He shivered and he was left naked against the cold winds of this world, stripped of all delusions and lies. He had the truth now. He wondered if he'd have been warmer with the lies.

The wind and the cold bit at his naked flesh. He trembled at his nakedness and worst of all, he knew exactly who had disrobed him.

"They…they killed my people?" Naruto almost whimpered. "All…all of them?"

"The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were legendary indeed, but even they would not have been able to breach the city if Konoha had put even the slightest pressure on Kiri," growled the old man. "It may have been the Swordsmen that killed the Uzumaki but it is because of Senju treachery that it happened! The Swordsmen…well they got or are getting what's coming to them. They were good warriors and they defeated us. The spirit of the Uzumaki can live with that. What it can't tolerate is the betrayal from the clan we so loyally defended!

Naruto could barely formulate words. Emotional carnage was wrecking havoc inside his mind. His thoughts were jumbled, his tongue was twisted and he felt nauseated and sick in his gut. Was this the feeling of betrayal? "Why?" he uttered. "Why would they…why would they do this? How could they do this to…to the Uzumaki? To us? How could they?'

Naruto gripped his head despairingly and started walking around the pillars, muttering to himself. "How could the old man give me all these lectures on kindness and compassion? How…how could Tsuande-baachan have kept this from me this whole time? Ero-sennin…why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he do anything if he knew? Was he a coward or a pawn? Am I a coward or a pawn? No! It's not fair! Why should they have lived at the cost of…of…my people? Why! Konoha sleeps sound and night. The Uzumaki sleep forever! Why…how…no, it can't be true!"

He sunk to his knees, his whole body shaking. "Bastards," he whispered. "Hypocrites! How could they? How…how _dare_ they? I bet I was the joke, the last mockery. How much of a fool can we make out of the last Uzumaki? They…I…we deserved better! Those bastards…they killed us!"

"Do you understand the plight of your people now? The torment I have suffered with for 40 years?" the old man asked tenderly. "I have great vengeful desires in my heart as well, Naruto. But I am an old man, about to die, not fit for fighting and excitement. Every day, I fought for a reason to rise. And finally you came. And my reason had come."

"What…what were they like? My people?" Naruto whispered softly.

The old man closed his eyes, his voice taking on nostalgic properties. "They were kind, and merciful and a rowdy energetic lot, if I'd ever seen one. They were always smiling, always. Even without real reason, if water flowed and if the sun shone, the people smiled. They loved and cried. There were saints and sometimes bullies. They were people, with all the accomplishments and imperfections that came with it. But they were yours, Naruto. And you were theirs. But with one simple decision, the Third Hokage, and the elder council and…Danzo…they all took it away. The only comfort you have of the life you deserve is the moniker on your jacket."

The old man clasped either side of Naruto's downtrodden face. "Naruto, my boy, this is the legacy that you were meant to fulfill. It is a legacy red as the hair on your mother's head. It is a legacy of blood. And now its time for the last Uzumaki to turn the tables. You are an avenger, Naruto. You have always been from the minute you were born. By blood and character, you are a true Uzumaki. Avenge us, Naruto. Show your family the love that they could not give to you. Bring the Uzumaki closure. Bring us peace. And show the Senju what true justice is."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: So there it is. There are strong parallels I try to draw here so take them as you will. I'd really appreciate comments or advice on this chapter especially. Did you like it? Hate it? Please let me know.<strong>

**I know that the last two chapters could be seen as boring with a lot of talking but don't worry. The pace quickens and the plot pushes forward in the next chapter. Next week, we'll finally see what happened at the Shadow Summit, what Danzo is up to and where in the world Haku is.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Made a slight mistake when I updated with the wrong document. Turns out I uploaded some of my notes. My bad. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please read and review. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"Give me some good news," Shikamaru demanded, as he walked past dozens of his men, weary of battle.<p>

A Hyuuga beside him reported sternly. "It is working, captain. It seems as if we are finally ready to break through the fortresses. Fortress Lowland seems weakest. If we press our advantage now, we can take the fortress."

"I'll give you 80 men to breach Fortress Lowland," Shikamaru murmured. "I want you to gather your ten most skilled shinobi. When panic ensues, I will lead the infiltration into Fortress Southguard with ten of your men while you take Fortress Lowland."

"If we take the fortresses on either side, the rest in the middle will fall like dominos," remarked the Hyuuga. "We should report our actions to Konoha before-"

"No," replied Shikamaru. "We move at nightfall. This war has already gone on too long. I want to see the end of it as soon as possible. Alert the men. When dusk settles, we march on the fortresses. Alert the men."

"That will be a problem."

Shikamaru turned around to see a masked ANBU ninja, scroll in hand. The shadow user balled his fists up tightly. The ANBU had been a thorn in his side and a severe nuisance. He had requested for real ANBU soldiers. Instead, he had got ROOT. They didn't seem to acknowledge the chain of command nor did they ever appear to have any respect for him.

"Says who?" Shikamaru replied testily.

The masked ninja held up a scroll in his left hand. "Says the Rokudaime Hokage."

Wordlessly, Shikamaru snatched the message from the ANBUs hands. He unfurled it and slowly began reading the long message before him. His eyes blazed through the words, almost disbelieving much of what he had already read. Finished at last, he put down the scroll and glared at the smug unmoving mask of Danzo's personal unit.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"An executive order," replied the ANBU ninja, simply.

He turned around and walked back to the encampment. Shikamaru swore loudly. The Hyuuga quickly approached him.

"What is it, captain?" he asked.

Shikamaru let out a low frustrated sigh. "The Shadow Summit turned into a battleground. Iwa and Kumo are going to war."

"What's that got to do with us?"

"Ame is one of the northern countries separating Iwa from Kumo," muttered Shikamaru. "The Hokage has ordered us to hold position."

"What?" demanded the Hyuuga. "Why?"

Shikamaru tossed the crumpled message aside. "It makes sense. And it's highly convenient. If Iwa and Kumo are marching to war, they will meet and battle in the Rainy Lands that separate them. If we move forward, we'll force Ame forces back to the capital. But if we hold position, we keep Ame forces occupied at the fortresses and leave the capital undefended. We don't even have to defeat Ame. Stone and Cloud will do it for us. In the crossfire, the defenseless capital will be laid to waste. It's…a perfect plan…"

"So…we've won," concluded his subordinate.

Shikamaru frowned. It didn't feel like a victory.

OOO

His body felt slightly numb. He took off his shoes and walked barefoot down the decorated stony streets of the city. His hand trailed across the walls. He closed his eyes and let his sensory inputs take over. He slowed his breathing and let himself be immersed in the calming silence of the city. The smell of the crisp sea wind filled his nostrils. He sighed happily. Naruto slowly walked down an estranged and familiar street.

If he focused hard enough, he could almost sense the crowds of people making their way through the streets around them. The women were beautiful, often bright crimson in their hair with either children or husbands in tow. They were strong and assertive. The men were cheery but not weak. Their faces and eyes showed an inclination for gentleness but they were not afraid to use the considerable skill they kept behind the radiant atmosphere.

If he focused hard enough, he could almost hear the sweet melodies of women and the complicated polyphonic instrumentation of old men with their accompanying strings and horns and drums and flutes. They would play in the street to the open air and the crowds of the markets.

Some children, young and naïve and energetic, were running across the water, taking advantage of their newfound skills. Some danced delicately across the water's surface as naturally as if it were ground. Others clumsily splashed and fell into the water, their mouths opened with laugher and shock.

Naruto walked over wide stony bridge and saw a more beautiful scene than he could have ever imagined. A group of girls, no older than 16, stood motionless over top the still water lake. They were beautiful, pale skinned and long flowing red hair. Their silky red hair reached the small of their backs. They all stood still as the water. Their delicate hands touching at the fingertips.

It was so quiet. An enormous crowd of eager onlookers had formed and crowded around the bridge. But none of them uttered a word or noise – to do so would disrespect the performance. Naruto eagerly looked forward. He heard the strings, a lonely long A, the ascending chromatics, the harmony with the rising flutes and the dutiful drone of soft oboes amidst the beautiful texture. The music rose and the girls sprung into action.

With unbelievably elegant coordination, the dancers moved in time with the music. The choreography was something of unparalleled complexity. Their red hair spun around them as they twirled over the water's top. As one, with perfect timing to the music, they bent down in one motion, just barely trimming their fingers across the water's surface, catching a few droplets which clung to their fingers. With grace, their hands continued traveling upwards.

Naruto's jaw nearly dropped as he saw the lake's water rise with the motions of the dancers. Streams of water followed the fingertips of the girls as they spun, and danced and flowed. Tiny flows of water surrounded and flowed through and around the dancers with their precise, beautiful motions. Around Naruto, the crowd was silent but no less in awe than he. The water dance he had been privy to was a thing of sheer beauty.

The red jewels of the city danced on clear water stage. And all was quiet, save for the mesmeric music echoing down the grand stone arches.

Naruto didn't know how long it went on, but he felt he could have watched them forever. When at last, the last girl stopped and the last thread of red hair returned calmly to its owner's slender back, the music ended and the water, now idle, drifted and sunk slowly back into the lake. Naruto had scarcely known that humans were capable of such things. How magnificent.

Was this the Uzumaki? Was this the unmatched rich culture of his people. The most beautiful of women, the strongest and gentlest of men. The innocence and energy of the young, heart aching music in the streets and the most beautiful of performances he had ever seen. He could see Uzugakure for but a moment. But this mere fraction of his people was something more sublime than any land, face or image he could have imagined.

The tiniest of sounds, the caws of a nearby bird, broke his intense concentration. Naruto, furious, looked around at his surroundings. He was on the bridge again. But there was no water dance before him, no music in the air, no children in streams, no life in the streets. He didn't even realize he was crying until salty tears reached an vacant open mouth. It was so amazing, what it had been, what Naruto saw. And so painful now, as he stood lonesome in this grey city, silent and forever mute.

Naruto closed his eyes and let tears flow free. Here on the bones of his people, without the comfort of their presence, he felt no shame, held no qualm in the tears he spilt over the life he'd never have, the family he'd never meet.

"Naruto?" came a voice.

Naruto turned his head, trying to wipe the moisture from his face. To his left, he saw Haku, wide-eyed with hands covering her open mouth.

"Naruto!" she cried, leaping and throwing herself into him.

The pair of them tumbled to the stone floor. Haku buried her head into Naruto's chest. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She was wet and her clothes, damp. Her chest was heaving from her running. The embrace was cold and warm. Naruto let himself be picked up to his feet by Haku, who looked at him sternly.

"Where have you been?" she shouted. She looked down. "Your seal, Naruto! Is it…"

"It's fine," affirmed the blonde Jinchuuriki. "I met…the old man that the Mizukage was talking about. He…he helped me."

"Helped you?" Haku asked, quickly. "How? Who was he? What did he do?"

Naruto held up his hands in defense. "I-I don't know. But I feel…much better than I did before. I'm pretty sure my seal's back to normal. So…wait a minute…where have you been? Where were you when the old man took me into the temple?"

"I tried to go find the temple myself," Haku told him. "You were…you were in bad shape, Naruto. I tried to go find the temple. When I returned to check on you, you were gone. You have no idea how much I panicked! My heart nearly stopped. I've spent the past two days looking for you. But this city is gigantic!"

"I was out for two days?" Naruto murmured aloud.

Naruto kept wiping his face. He tried to turn from Haku to hide it. His voice was still somewhat shaky. Haku looked at him closely. She knew something was wrong. He wasn't angry or confused or frustrated. There was no fire in his spirit to coax him to any of his normal dispositions. Haku had seen him only once like this before.

Haku cupped his face and stared at him caringly. "Naruto...are you really okay?"

Naruto took a shaky breath. He looked around. The city, his city, was dead. He looked back at Haku, shaking his head. "No," he whispered. "No I'm not."

OOO

Neji read his scroll one last time. "Our objective is simple. It's a reconnaissance mission. We are to head into Hot Water Country and report the size and strength of Kumo deployment. We will relay all information back to Konoha and to Shikamaru on the northern front."

In front of him, Shino nodded immediately. Kiba showed no signs that he had even listened. He put his hands in his pocket and walked off towards the gates. Neji looked at the Inuzuka, unsure of what to make of it. Shino approached him, silently.

"A mission like this, it was tailored made for our team," Shino confided. "Bringing on another pair of Byakugan eyes, it just reminded him of the pair we lost."

Neji nodded. He admitted, it felt weird. Hinata had gladly been absent from his thoughts. He had been so focused on his own endearing problems. He almost preferred it that way. But leaving the walls of Konoha, even if only for a bit, gave him a wave of relief. He was free from the watchful eyes of Konoha. For once, he could sleep easy, free of any fears at night. This might do him good, to clear his head. Maybe things would make more sense, outside of Konoha.

OOO

"Mizukage-sama, we should rest!" cried Ao. "Your wounds are serious. You need to tend to them before-"

"No!" yelled the Mizukage, pushing forward. Her ocean blue dress had been stained with red and it was spreading further. "We must make it to the coast. By the Sage's word…this whole thing has been a disaster."

"What was the Raikage thinking?" Ao bitterly criticized. "Calling a Kage Summit turned out to be just as bad as it sounded. Did he think that everyone would just get along and fight the Akatsuki united? Damn him and his naïve actions!"

"What of Danzo?" panted the Mizukage, her wounds giving her great pain. "Did he…"

"No," replied Ao confidently. "My Byakugan was fixed on Danzo through the entire session. His chakra was completely static and calm. As much as a mess this is, at least we didn't have Danzo to make it worse."

"I still can't believe what happened," the Mizukage muttered.

FLASHBACK

The Mizukage made to speak, but a loud thunder cut her off. Above them, the high ceiling exploded into debris and dust. From the exposed hole, two objects, almost too quick for the eye to perceive, flew down. She began forming seals in her hand before she realized these two things were not headed for her. She looked at the Raikage. Even in such a short span of time, he had stood up and his body was covered in…lightning. His hair stood up like the thick mane of a wild lion. And his eyes bore ferocity greater than the beast. He moved fast, even after all the stories she had heard of the famous Fourth Raikage.

From the corner of her eye, she saw sand pouring from the Kazekage's gourd and the boy whispering words beneath his breath. The Raikage leapt from his position, which was now a neat crater thanks to the two new assailants. He held out a great arm.

"No Kazekage!" growled the Raikage. "Do not intervene. These two are after me. They are MINE!"

"You know them?" asked the Mizukage.

"They are the lone blemishes on the history of Kumo. They are fiends, embarrassments and traitors!" the Raikage growled once more.

The smoke had parted and all Kage saw the two figures quite clearly. They were large men, muscular, brandishing cruel weapons. What was most noticeable of them, was simply their expression. It wasn't one of a man. It was one of a beast, a wild animal, and a crazed one at that. Their chakra was sinister and their smirks, unnerving.

"Ginkaku," said one.

"Kinkaku," said the other.

"The Gold and Silver Brothers," smirked the two.

It seemed as if they had more to say, but the Raikage would hear none of it. He launched his huge figure towards the pair, almost with reckless abandon and a guttural cry. The madness continued. The Mizukage abandoned her close and anxious observance of the ensuing battle to see the boy Kage similarly fixed, but none were more so fixated on the battle as the Tsuchikage, who scarcely blinked, even with the kicking up of dust around the room. On the other hand, she saw Danzo, who looked almost as if he was ignoring the situation entirely.

An enormous rumble was heard and an adjacent wall toppled over, courtesy of the Raikage's gargantuan fist. The Mizukage saw the blood dripping from the Raikage's right arm. These Gold and Silver Brothers were taking advantage of their numerical advantage. That and their strange weapons, the likes of which even the Mizukage had never seen, inflicted strange and unknown injury. The Raikage roared and ignored his wound, charging at the two brothers again.

"Do not break your focus, Ao!" the Mizukage spoke instantly.

Ao, on the rafters dutifully followed his leader's command. Though very curious, he forced his eye unto the crippled Kage, following his every motion, looking for the slightest flux in his chakra flow. Chojuro, the young and meek second retainer of the Mizukage, leapt down from his elevated position and landed next to his Mizukage.

"Mizukage-sama," he whispered. "It's become dangerous, we should leave now."

"Slip away during the chaos?" the Mizukage said. "And if that happens, you do you think looks most guilty? If one party mysteriously vanishes, doesn't that look suspicious? I don't think so, Chojuro. We stay. I will not risk Kirigakure's safety for my own. Tell Ao…"

Her voice faded and her throat couldn't utter another sound. Even she, the mistress of Ice, felt herself freeze up. She sensed two chakra presences. She knew them, she recognized them and she hadn't felt it in many, many years. Slowly as she could, she drew her eyes towards a spot over the ceiling that she could sense these two.

She had to be quick.

In blinding speed, her fingers snapped to each other and formed signs. "**Wind release: Vacuum Spheres"**

Concentrated parcels of air flew from her mouth with great speed. So concentrated, they was almost visible, they smashed into the ceiling, creating a second hole, this one much larger. The Mizukage sensed the chakra signatures moving away. She bit her lip and leaped through her created hole, not willing to let them escape.

"Mizukage-sama!" cried Chojoro.

"Stay!" barked the Mizukage, in mid air. "Ao! Keep your charge! Chojoro will protect you!"

The Mizukage tossed her hat aside as she landed on the smooth stone surface of a grand hall. Huge pillars sustained the large hall and its floors were red with the blood of fallen samurai. She followed the trail of bodies to two figures, clearly swordsmen by their stances and achievements.

"So the last of the Swordsmen have assembled," grinned Kisame, widely.

"Don't you remember what Yagura-sensei always said?" spoke Katsurou, in monotone. "Be wary of engaging a foe of superior numbers."

"Somehow, I doubt you of all people should be reminding me of sensei's teachings," the Mizukage growled, angrily. "Yagura-sensei taught justice. And mercy. And loyalty. Were you following his teachings when you convinced swordsman to turn on swordsman? Were you following his teachings when you maimed Zabuza? When you killed a man and woman you had once called sword siblings? Or when you turned on your master, kage, and village?"

"Ah, Mei-chan," commented Kisame. "Always so elegant with words."

"There are a million words I wish to impart, but none will do it justice," hissed the Mizukage. "For my fallen sword siblings, I will finish the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, here and now."

From her palm, a thick pillar of ice emerged. She grabbed the base of the ice and it began to take form. It shaped itself, carving a delicate handle and a translucent sharp long tip. The Mizukage brandished it, one of the treasures of the East, Water's Blight.

The determination in her eyes told the opposing swordsmen that this wasn't a fight they could avoid. Katsurou of the Kaguya drew his Marrow Blade and Kisame unsheathed his massive Samehada. Kisame felt oddly reminiscent of a time over 20 years past.

"I haven't had a decent fight with another swordsman in years," Kisame chuckled.

"And this will be your last!" cried the Mizukage, swinging her sword as if it held a feather's weight. "I'll defeat you both!"

Katsurou and Kisame clashed swords with the pushing Mizukage, the sudden clang of blades rung throughout the empty hall. The ferocity she channeled into her strikes made the slices more dangerous than the pair had first assumed. They leapt back, regaining their position. Katsurou signaled to Kisame to go on the offensive but looked at his blade shocked. Ice was growing from its tip and encasing the entire blade at a speedy rate. Kisame looked at his encased Samehada, grinning before the ice shattered, and his Samehada looked much larger.

Kisame laughed. "I forgot about your blade, Mei-chan. The edge which freezes all it touches. A shame it does nothing but feed my own."

Katsurou smashed his sword into the ground, shattering the ice. But within seconds it had reappeared and threatened to cover the blade entirely. The Mizukage wasted no time. Blade forward, she pushed towards a distracted Katsurou. Taken aback, he was forced to draw twin blades from his forearms to parry the Mizuakge's brutal strike. Those blades quickly turned to ice and he was forced to throw them aside. The Mizukage didn't let up. She was unrelenting in her strikes, pushing Katsurou back, giving him a harder fight than he had faced in a long time. She was freezing his blades faster than he could produce them. His back was almost against the wall.

From the corner of her eye, the Mizukage detected Kisame, flying through the air, smashing his Samehada at her. She ducked and the pillar behind her exploded into shards of debris. She looked at the Samehada in disgust. Kisame grinned wildly.

"Do you like my new blade?" he asked her.

The Mizukage looked at the discarded Marrow Blade, which was a short distance from Kisame. The ice covering it shattered.

_"That blade…"_ she thought._ "From what pit of hell did he find it? It's countering my blade's effect. And my other jutsu isn't working…"_

She repositioned her grip on her sword and launched it, tip first at Kisame, who held his sword up as shield. It struck the Samehada with much forced and shattered on impact. Kisame, unprepared for the power, was sent off balance. The Mizukage was whispering words as this happened.

"**Ice release: Avalanche Flow"**

Seemingly out of nowhere, an unquantifiable amount of snow and ice and debris poured from the high ceiling of the hall and with ungodly speeds, struck a surprised Kisame. It tossed him like a doll around the room, eventually pinning him against a wall, where it began to pile up, solidify and freeze.

"That should hold even _him_ for a while," muttered the Mizukage, now turning her attention back towards her bony former teammate.

Katsurou was already on the move. He whispered quietly: "**Skeletal Dance."**

He began spinning rapidly, in forms and ways, the Mizukage had not seen for some time. From his elegantly whirling limbs, streaks of white emerged and Katsurou began launching sharp bones at the Mizukage. She held her blade tight and began anticipating their trajectories. She parried several and dodged others. A sting her leg caused her to wince. She had been sliced by one of his ribs. She looked at her wound closely.

_"He must be able to control the movement of his bones, even after they leave his body,"_ the Mizukage told herself. _"Well that's new."_

Another barrage was incoming. The Mizukage let her blade dissolve into shards once more as she raised her left hand and began orchestrating one-handed seals. Once finished, she raised her hand at the incoming attack.

"**Wind release: High Currents"**

An unfathomable gust of wind blasted from her hand and it sent Katsurou's projectiles flying harmlessly back to him, like toys. She moved almost as quickly, closing the distance between them. Katsurou held his sword, ready, now reminded of his teammate's unique abilities. He could no longer touch her blade. He was, with great effort, dodging all her strikes, while trying to land one of his own that would not be parried. What was happening was a great swordplay from two of the world's masters. They jabbed, sliced and slashed their respective swords with discipline, neither touching the other or the wielders themselves. Their blades were missing by inches, finding only air where they longed for flesh…flesh and bone.

Gradually, Katsurou began to slow. His movements were forced and sluggish. He breathed in and felt ice cold air fill his lungs as he struggled to keep up with Mei's furious pace. He cringed slightly as he felt his right arm, cleanly sliced by the Mizukage's blade, followed by his right leg and torso. He collapsed, on one knee. The pain wasn't as bad as the ice which, at once began to creep up from his wounds and spread.

"How…how did you…" Katsurou croaked.

"Can't move as fast when it's so cold can you?" said the Mizukage. "Hard to parry or block when each movement has to fight against the cold, isn't it? As you fight, you grow colder, and slower. And I press my advantage."

She held her blade, leveled at Katsurou's chest, frost already beginning to creep its way there. He snickered at her. "You can't pierce me, you know that."

"I don't need to run you through," she responded coldly. "I merely need to touch you."

With a violent jab, she sunk her blade into Katsurou's chest only two inches before his hardened skeleton stopped the blade in its path. Regardless, ice froze his skin and within seconds, enveloped him whole, leaving only his frozen figure as a memento.

"Burn in the deepest of hells," she whispered at it.

"Not yet, Mei-chan," spoke Katsurou.

Mei whipped around but Katsurou was already upon her. With an iron and unbreakable fist, he smashed the sword out of the Mizukage's hand and laid several hard blows to her body. The resounding crack in her knee from a kick was very satisfying. He grabbed her wild jab and launched a firm strike to her midsection. She spat out blood painfully. The bones in his body were hardened beyond diamonds and he struck her with every once of force he had to muster. It was such that she was launched several feet back, out of breath, out of mind almost.

Blood trickled from her mouth. She rose unsteadily. She saw her blade, discarded nearby. It shattered and reappeared in her hand instantly.

"I have full control over my bones, Mei-chan," declared Katsurou. "Their size, their density, even their numbers."

"Are you telling me I was fighting one of your…skeletons?" she hissed.

"Yagura-sensei always did tell you never to engage a foe of superior numbers."

She wiped the blood from her face. _"This one is definitely the real one. I used up a lot of chakra to contain Kisame. And now Katsurou knows not to engage me at arms length…"_

She wobbled on her damaged leg for a moment. And then…her leg shattered, revealing a new and more wholesome limb underneath it. The leg was unbroken, if not a bit bruised.

_"She encased herself in ice?"_ Katsurou analyzed.

He held his Marrow Blade outwards and it extended. Mei held out her Water's Blight and it did similarly. The pair now brandished swords of immense length. Standing dozens of feet back, they fought with extended blades, each now requiring more strength and precision. Every time her blade clashed with his, Katsurou broke the bone off and let a new one grow, to avoid the spreading of the ice.

The Mizukage shattered her blade, giving Katsurou a moment of pause. She then launched an enormous brick of ice at the boned assailant. Katsurou readied himself. Before the mass of ice reached him, it exploded into a thousand shards. His eyes vigorously tried to follow every shard. He also saw Mei's lips move and he at last remembered her signature move.

**"Ice release: Demonic Ice Mirrors."**

In horror, he looked at the shards of glace, falling almost in slow motion, and saw the Mizukage's face in each one. Time seemed to have drastically slowed as he saw all the shards of glace surrounding him, each containing a reflection of the Mizukage.

"Remember what Yagura-sensei said?" she asked him. "Never engage a foe of superior numbers."

In the blink of an eye, Katsurou Kaguya had been stabbed a thousand different times in a thousand different angles. He fell to his knees, blood seeping from every wound, so many he thought it might have covered his whole body. The pain was intense, even from one who hardly ever felt it. It washed over him numbingly, though he was still alive. The slashes could not pierce him. But the ice grew from his wounds again. Before they had a chance to fester, they all shattered, causing Katsurou quite a bit more pain, but gratitude as well. He looked over and saw Kisame standing beside him, brandishing his increasingly growing sword.

"It appears your freezing technique relies on static chakra," Kisame grinned. "Too bad my Samehada is quite hungry today."

The Mizukage bit her lip. She had revealed more of her techniques than she had hoped. She shouldn't have expected any less, though. Easily the strongest of her village, it was foolish to think those taught side by side her did not carry similar faculty. For better or for worse, they were still the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. They had been raised together, they had fought together, served together, triumphed together and cried together. And because of Katsurou Kaguya, they had been pitted against one another. She tried to forget all memory of them. It was too painful to be reminded of the friends, now turned sworn enemies and murderers.

Those days when she was young and energetic under her master, were long gone. They brought the painful memories of Zabuza, so idealistic and proud before Ichiku maimed him near death, and traumatized him beyond the point of return, sending the youngest swordsman back into his bloodlust and insane period. It brought back the memories of the boy who mastered sight and the girl who mastered light, both of which fell to Kisame and Ichiku. And it brought back the terrible memory of a girl, able to control the ice, who was bleeding out and on the verge of death after failing to stop who would become the number one enemy to Kiri, the last of the Kaguya.

She was in trouble. With coordination reminiscent of prior days, Kisame and Katsurou fell upon her. With Kisame and his monstrous blade returned, Mei's static technique was rendered useless. She was pushed back at alarming rates, trying to combat both Kisame and Katsurou at once. It was too much. Kisame had always been the more skilled bladesman, even accounting for his gigantic sword. She found her self twisting around to block a lunge by Katsurou, only to cry out in pain as her back was sliced by the Samehada, leaving a trail of blood to seep from the shallow but painful wound. Without time to recover, Katsurou extended a sharp bone from his elbow and tried to impale the Mizukage.

She painfully blocked it but this now left her wide open. Katsurou hardened his bones to indestructible levels and launched another kick at the Mizukage's knee. This time the crack was real and the pain on her face was genuine.

_"I have to use it,"_ the Mizukage thought.

Before either of the swordsmen could react, the Mizukage had clamped her hands together. Kisame reacted immediately. He lurched back upon recognition.

"Get back," he yelled.

Katsurou showed signs of recognition. He battled his urge to finish the battle, but realized it was over. He retreated. He bolted as fast as he could, as far away from her as he could get. Mei grimaced but was not concerned. They wouldn't be able to escape it. Cold winds and frosty tendrils swirled around her figure. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She regretted that the others Kage were so nearby. They would be undoubtedly caught in it. But she had to stop those two. And she had already started her technique. There was no stopping it now.

"No, Mizukage-sama!" cried Chojuro, appearing behind the injured Mizukage.

"I can't let them leave," she muttered. "I'm sorry Chojuro."

"I'm not concerned for my own life, Mizukage-sama," Chojuro spoke bravely. "There is hardly a greater service than to die serving a Mizukage. But that technique, Mizukage, it will kill everyone here."

"I am a Swordsman of the Mist," she spoke. "It's my duty…"

"No, you are the Mizukage!" Chojoro shouted. "Your duty is to your people! Not to your former teammates! How do you think your people will fair when the other nations realizes that the Mizukage killed all her fellow Kage? Please Mizukage, let them go! Kirigakure wouldn't survive the consequences of your technique."

He held out both his hands, palms upwards, to the Mizukage as she looked up shocked. He smiled at her sadly. "Let me absorb your technique. I'll take it for you, Mizukage-sama."

"Chojuro…" she whispered softly.

Before she could react, he grabbed both her hands and his back straightened instantly, his eyes closing in pain and his mouth screaming a silent cry. She felt her technique leave her. Chojuro's hands slacked. Mouth agape, he fell over, dead, taking the brunt of her technique with him to the grave.

The Mizukage stood still, allowing herself a few moments pause. With great pain, she knelt beside the young fallen boy and closed his eyes. "You died for the Kages" she murmured. "If only they were men worth dying for."

She began her steady march back to the conference room, dragging her broken leg in great pain. She didn't have to look for it. The dust and smoke and carnage led her back to the others. A strange silence was in the air as she returned to the room. The Hokage and Kazekage had retreated to the rafters with their retainers. The Tsuchikage was at a far corner, watching the situation closely. And the Raikage, stood atop the dead bodies of the Gold and Silver Brothers, breathing heavily. Half of his face was covered in blood and he was missing his left arm.

Mei remembered having faced the Raikage in battle once before. He had never been as weak then as she saw him now. His was fierce persona was now battered and weary. It looked as if he was barely keeping himself on his feet.

"You fool, Raikage!" chastised Gaara, sharply. "We'd have saved your arm if your pride hadn't dominated the fight!"

"It was my fight to fight!" the Raikage responded, kneeling down and turning one of the bodies over. "In Kumo, we deal with our own mistakes."

"The Gold Silver Brothers have been dead for years," the Mizukage breathed, labored.

Gaara's mouth opened to ask the Mizukage about her situation, but Temari shook her head.

The Raikage grunted painfully as he knelt down. He noticed something on the back of Ginkaku's neck. He brushed the blood and the cloth that obscured it and looked at the symbol in confusion.

"Earth?" he whispered.

Everything happened so fast. The Mizukage couldn't even react. Gaara managed to yell in protest but it was vain. The Tsuchikage was now floating in the middle of the room. He put his palms together.

"If you want something done right…"he growled. "**Dust release: Atomic Dismantling**."

A semi translucent cube materialized and zeroed in on the Raikage. But the Raikage was already moving. Even while wounded and dangerously weak, the Raikage let out a savage cry as he sped towards the Tsuchikage's small floating form. Even near death, he was still astoundingly fast. The Tsuchikage concentrated and his translucent cube followed the Raikage's trajectory closely.

The Raikage was almost within striking distance. But the Tsuchikage had centered his jutsu. He collapsed it and all within the cube turned to an impenetrable veil of dust, save for the Raikage's outstretched right arm, which had escaped the cube's containment.

Free from its master, but still sailing with force, it struck the Tsuchikage with crushing force. The Tsuchikage was sent flying back, hastily caught by one of his retainers.

"No!"

"Raikage-sama!"

All turned to chaos. Retainers armed themselves, prepared for a deadly fight. The Tsuchikage painfully muttered to his own, and together, they flew off, exiting the room from the destructive holes left it the ceiling. The Kumo retainers, furious, leaderless and lost, screamed curses at the fleeing figures.

"Iwa bastards!" screamed a dark skinned, blade wielder. "This means war Tsuchikage! Do you hear me! We will raze your village and hang you from its tallest tower!"

FLASHBACK

"Why would the Tsuchikage have the Raikage killed?" Ao asked.

"I don't know," panted the Mizukage. "I need time to think. With…with Chojuro gone…we need to get back to Kiri."

Ao frowned. "Well at least we didn't have the Akatsuki to make things even more hectic."

Ao stopped abruptly and held out his hand for the Mizukage to halt. An indescribable vortex appeared and from it, emerged a masked man, donning black robes with red clouds.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while. I couldn't find the right way to end this chapter. I hope you still enjoy.**

* * *

><p>A high sun rose in the noon of the day. Clouds held high but were thin and offered little shade. Sunlight blessed the waters with a swift gleam and a pale blue sparkle. There water was churning but quieter still. Beneath the shining water's surface laid, ever concealed, the trap and cunning of the whirlpools. Yet a force beyond knowing had calmed the weather and the noise, almost to a point and purpose beyond chance.<p>

Cutting through the water, white and blue, was a lone ship, great in size, made of wood, smoothed and fashioned white like the water beneath it. Atop its mast, a great canvas was blown to full form. It too was white and captured the gracious wind that blessed it with good bearing.

The ship was large and could hold a dozen men, maybe more. But the ship was empty. The decks were deserted, the crows nest, vacant, and the lower decks as silent as the night, save only for the quiet breathing of two individuals.

Naruto steered the ship as best he could, and found it delightfully responsive to his commands. Haku had brought him to one of her discoveries in her days scouring the city for him. She had found in the city's west, a great harbor in size and breadth, spanning a length greater than any Naruto had seen in the Land of Waves. Rotting fagots of wood bobbed up and down to the rhythm of the tide. Naruto saw the ports empty, housing no more than lonesome water. Only a single dock held a ship. It was magnificent, a jewel of white and glass and silver. While the city of Uzugakure had turned to grey in its long slumber, the ship before him, held firm, its silver coat contesting the waves of time. At the ship's prow, a long-haired maiden, fashioned from metal not wood, held steady gaze outwards to the horizon. There was no name for the ship. So to were there no other ships in Uzugakure to give names to. Naruto decided the lone ship would inherit its city's name as it cut through water back to the mainland.

Haku tapped her foot irritated. She hadn't appreciated Naruto's reluctant silence. He had scarcely offered her even half an explanation and certainly nothing involving his knowledge of the Senju. He had boarded the ship, headed westwards towards land, with great speed and determination with little word or reason to the one who found it. The fair ice-user tried prying forth that which Naruto was so heavily burdened with, but his lips remained disciplined. His words were thought carefully and meticulously – the few that he did utter.

Naruto realized he was passing over the guardian whirlpools of the grey city. Haku was there, ready to guide him, but Naruto found her only half necessary. Somehow, he could feel where to go. Something inside of him steered the ship for him, to safe passage. As if imbued with the spirit of the city, Naruto passed safely through the devices that kept it safe for generations. Now free from the whirlpools, the great white ship pierced the water with great speed and a strong wind behind it.

The rhythmic sound of water sloshing and beating against the elegant frame of the ship, and the dynamic flapping of the sail against the wind sounded good to Naruto. He fell into a sea induced trance, held ensnared by the beauty and breadth of the ocean before him. He thought how it looked from above; such a large ship, now looking small in regard to the expanse of the ocean.

Unwillingly, Naruto's thoughts turned back towards the one recurring image in his mind, that which had taken hold of his subconscious attention. He thought back to that bridge, and him standing on it with nothing but white in company. It disturbed him deeply to think of the whiteness. And yet, his thoughts betrayed him and refused to tear focus away from it. He wondered why it continued to plague his sleep with dread.

An inhuman cry made Naruto's heart jump slightly and almost lose his footing on the deck's dry surface. The white dream vanished from his mind, but so to did the tranquility of the sea. He had just been reminded of the reality of his existence. The noise in his head struck an ever deeper and more awful tone, higher than a banshee's scream, lower than a beast's snare and deeper than any voice uttered before.

Haku placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder comfortingly. It felt cold and warm.

"The Kyuubi?" she asked gently.

Naruto closed his eyes and nodded. "The seal…well it's fixed. But it was too much to hope for that the howling would go away."

He rubbed his seal uncomfortably with trepid apprehension of what lurked just beneath the surface of the seal. Such a thing that even he couldn't comprehend after all these years was being held back by mere drawings and ink. Alas, it would not suppress the noise, foul and rotten.

"How long have you heard them?" she asked him.

Naruto thought back. "I can't remember when it started. It just…it was always there. Sometimes louder, other times more mild. Some days more frequent, others, maybe once or twice. But it's been there, everyday I can remember. I've never really gotten used to it. I mean I can cover it up pretty well. But…there's no ignoring it."

"How can you ever have any peace with that thing screaming?" she asked.

Naruto let out a bitter chuckle. "When I find out, I'll let you know."

Haku looked down at her feet. "You know, Naruto…you don't have to bear this alone."

The jinchuuriki sighed, trying to spot the fleeting and shrinking form of Uzugakure. "Of course I have to. It's my burden to bear. It's in me. It'll be with me until I die. No one can stop that. No one can help me there."

"If I can't help there, let me help elsewhere," Haku pleaded. "Please Naruto, just tell me! You're not acting the same. If you'd just explain the situation, I'm sure I'd-"

Naruto turned away abruptly and crossed the ship's width to the other side, silently. Haku's gaze followed him there. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Naruto, are you ever going to have faith in me?"

Naruto didn't answer but he cursed himself silently. He felt Haku's arms wrap around his waist and her chin rest in the crevice of his neck.

"Well," she spoke softly. "I'll be with you the day that you do."

Naruto felt like dying when she spoke those words. He bit his lip painfully and felt a deep urge to crawl into a hole, in shame, never to see the light of day again. He didn't deserve her affection, her loyalty. He could hardly return it in kind. Bile welled up in his throat and he tried his hardest to speak, but found himself again, scared and mute. He couldn't tell her. He just couldn't. Her embrace was cold and warm and Naruto felt like the scum of the earth.

The voice that asked him to follow it through the whiteness was cold and warm but he couldn't take that blind step. Fear rose to his head every time he considered telling Haku. He had accepted his many burdens. Haku made it less painful.

He couldn't tell her.

He couldn't lose her.

Naruto turned his attention back to the boat. He couldn't believe how elegantly it handled, especially in the hands of one so inexperienced as he. Haku had told him it was mariner's blood. It was scary how close to the truth she was. Naruto maneuvered the ship across open water with ease, almost with will alone. It was as if he felt as if he were the ship itself, feeling rushing water across his chest, splitting open the water with steady speed.

The ocean was a vast place. How much water was in this world? Naruto couldn't even imagine. And yet, this last white boat cut through the water which faded away upon impact. The great white ship left waves in its wake where once stood volumes upon volumes of untamed and impregnable vastness. Naruto liked to imagine himself as the boat. On closer inspection, it was a reassuring thought.

He felt something different at that point. It was not remorse or pain for his losses. It was not the cold and warmth of Haku's touch. It was not the mystical enchantment of his people nor was it the dark unknown rage of the tenant which dwelled within him. It was something wholesomely different, foreign even; something that didn't belong and was for all intents and purposes, alien to him. Naruto let out a frustrating scream in his head. Had he become the whipping boy of fate? How much more was he destined to endure? Naruto felt the ocean of the world begin to crush him with overwhelming pressure and force. He carried with him already this affection he could not reciprocate, something within him he could not understand, and of course, this new red legacy he was obliged to fulfill. What else had been thrown at him?

Naruto looked overboard and wondered how fast he could cut through the water if he jumped overboard and swam the rest of the way to shore. He wouldn't have gotten far. He was not the ship he sailed. The Uzugakure was a testimony and monument to the unbreakable. It's hull reinforced with solid metal and hard materials. It's mast, thick with rich and smoothed wood, white as ever throughout the ages. Naruto looked at his own arms and legs. They were flesh and bone. They'd wrinkle and ache in the water.

He tasted something bitter but somehow also sweet in his mouth. He frowned and rolled his tongue around his mouth. The sensation had passed as quickly as it had come. His fingertips felt slightly tingly for some reason. His right hand then ignited in an invisible flame. Naruto felt his hand on fire, yet he felt strangely, no burns or scorches.

And up beyond the clouds, so faint, it was little more than a whisper, Naruto heard the caws of crows.

OOO

Ahead of him, Kiba and Shino murmured on. Neji was quite content with that. Not having to participate in conversation left his mind free to attempt to expunge his troubling thoughts as he flew through falling leaves and a brisk westward wind. Some nights, he still couldn't believe he had done it. Some days, he'd wake up, almost convincing himself that he had dreamt it all up. But when the dawn came, it brought back Neji's reality. He couldn't take back what he did. He couldn't fictionalize it into a dream or fantasy. It was real. His actions were real. And however just, he believed them to be, it did not stop the terror from reaching him every night.

Here, in the wilderness of trees and birds and longtime comrades, Neji felt less worried. That was, before the conversation began to shift.

"I don't understand your hostility towards the Hokage," Shino murmured. "Did he do something against your clan?"

"There just something I don't like about him," Kiba responded, vaguely. "I don't know what it is, but Danzo rubs me the wrong way. He smells…off."

"You should really start calling him Hokage-sama," Shino corrected. "Especially now…now that Tsunade-sama…"

Kiba held his head low and solemn. "I still can't believe it," the Inuzuka remarked. "I can't believe she's…"

Neji was spared his guilt when Kiba's voice trailed off gradually. The Inuzuka bent down near his steed's ear and whispered soft words at the dog. Akamaru, the giant dog took a deep sniff and barked several times at Kiba. The pair halted on a nearby branch. Neji and Shino stopped behind them.

"What is it?" Neji demanded.

Kiba and Akamaru each took more large sniffs into the air. Their nostrils flared and Shino watched his teammate's amazing sense of smell work once more. Kiba's voice and expression were serious.

"Neji," he said, lowly. "To our eleven o'clock, several miles out. I caught a small scent…it could be nothing, but this one ain't a smell I'd soon forget."

Shino wordlessly sent out his bugs. They came together, forming in multitudes so vast it resembled a thick blanket in the air. In strict coordination, they flew forward in Kiba's detected coordinates. Neji focused and enhanced his Byakugan.

"Is it there?" Kiba asked immediately.

Neji breathed deeply. "Yeah, it's there."

"What is it?" Shino demanded sharply. "What's going on?"

"I smell a snake."

"This way!" Neji cried. He launched off the branch and was quickly followed by Kiba and Shino. They flew between the wooden pillars of the forest in a fast blur with fallen leaves in their wake. Through scent and sight, the trio of shinobi and a great wolf dog let themselves be guided. The scent was becoming stronger. The sight was becoming clearer. Neji pressed forward, knowing he would find something soon. Behind him, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru had fallen into a tense silence. Akamaru growled every softly as his paws scraped the wooden bark of trees.

"Here!" hissed Kiba.

They halted. Slowly, they all realized what they were looking at. The eerie and spooked feeling in the air, and the thick, unnatural atmosphere left but only one conclusion. This was a hideout of Orochimaru of the Sannin. With its master gone from this world, Shino slowly let his bugs fly from his sleeves to determine what now was emanating this strangely familiar feeling. Kiba whispered to Akamaru who assumed an offensive posture. Neji turned around to face his teammates.

"Whatever's waiting for us, we're about to find out," he spoke. "Kiba."

Kiba understood perfectly. He went down on all fours. In front of them, stood a very wide stone slab, no doubt barring entrance to an underground complex. Both the Inuzuka and Akamaru growled ferociously.

**"Double Wolf Fang**"

Spinning rapidly, the two figures slowly intertwined into a single great force, which smashed into the heavy stone slab with enough intensity to generate a small gust around it. The heavy slab gave way and cracked open with much noise and debris. The Konoha shinobi immediately dashed into the lair.

The spine-chilling groans down the dimly lit hallway intrigued and confused the shinobi even further as they pursued the sound down the narrow hallway. The hallway led into a hall with many connecting corridors. They stopped in the middle of the room.

"Shino." Neji said slowly.

"I know," replied the bug user. "We're surrounded."

"They smell…dead," Kiba whispered.

With a weak fire technique Neji lit the hall and saw horrifyingly, dead flesh and hollow eyes standing and approaching them with all the vitality of the living. Neji raised his Byakugan's range further and what he saw would haunt him to his grave.

"I need to get to the eastern hallway," Neji whispered urgently. "Can you buy me time?"

"We can do more than that," Kiba acknowledged before him and his beast companion leapt into the fray, followed soon after by a reluctant Shino.

In the commotion, Neji leapt over many heads and made a dash for an opposing hallway. He had to duck under the violent flails of nearby enemies. With the suppleness only Hyuuga commanded, Neji maneuvered around the sharp projectiles being launched at him and the odd fireball zeroed in on him. Behind him, he heard another crash and could only hope Shino and Kiba were proving their worth as strong soldiers.

Neji dashed down the hallway with greater urgency than he could remember. His feet barely touched the floor as he sped down the narrow corridor, leaving his pursuers behind easily. The walls began to curve and turn with the obvious intention of promoting disorientation. But with his active Byakugan and clear sight and goal, Neji could not be deterred or distracted. What he had seen demanded nothing less.

The clanging of chains blessed his ears as he knew he was close. A door stood in his way at the end of the tunnel. The battle behind him had all but fallen mute. He must have travelled great distance, or at least that's what he wanted to believe. The alternative, that the battle had finished, did not bold well for his companions. Neji knew he wasn't supposed to be here. This was not his mission. But he pushed on, and crashed through the door, breaking it into many pieces.

"Lady Luck works in strange ways," spoke a voice in the shadows.

Neji gripped the hems of his robes tightly. "Kabuto!"

The spectacled shinobi walked into the flickers of the flame. His glasses flashed with the dancing orange flames. The grin on his face, however, glowed regardless of lighting. Neji knew instinctively, this couldn't be a clone. The odd and unnatural feeling of Kabuto could not be replicated.

"Well, maybe this is a good thing," Kabuto sighed to himself. "I'm done with my research here. And I was getting tired of the place anyway. Time for a change of venue."

"You're not leaving this room alive," Neji growled.

"Dead, alive," Kabuto mused. "Soon you will find how meaningless those concepts are."

Neji assumed the traditional Gentle Fist stance. "What did you do with Anko? I saw her here."

The rustling of chains made Neji snap his head towards a far corner. His jaw dropped loosely as he saw Anko, weak, broken and bleeding out of more wounds he could count. Rage boiled within Neji. As he turned his attention back towards Kabuto, the spectacled man smiled sinisterly. Around him, a large white snake coiled around his body. The snake reared its great head and bore its thick fangs. It struck at Neji who intercepted it with a blow to the top of the head. He pinned its upper jaw to the wall with a kunai for good measure. But the distraction had done its job. Neji looked by and Kabuto was gone. His anger began to cool and his perspiration turned cold and began to chill him. He made his way towards Anko. Her body looked emaciated and weak. He raised her head and propped it against his shoulder.

"Anko," he spoke.

She didn't respond. Her heavy eyelids didn't even react.

"Anko!" he said, a little more forcefully.

Her chest heaved as she took in a struggled breath. She labored against her own body for several moments. The expression on his face told him everything he needed to know. Neji saw her ready to sob and scream as one. But she hadn't even the strength. The defeat in her eyes was painfully evident.

Neji hadn't noticed the amount of blood she had lost. She was quite pale. He hadn't a clue what Kabuto had done to her and wasn't keen on imagining it. Anko hadn't said a word yet. She struggled even to keep her eyes open. He heard a desperate croak from her throat and awkward clicks from her tongue. Her jaw jumped and wiggled slightly. Her face was constrained and she struggled desperately so. Neji leaned ever close to Anko, trying to discern her message.

Her voice was raspy and broken. She looked directly into his eyes.

"Betr…be-betrayed."

Her eyes moved slightly to Neji's left, an ever so small gesture that all but the Byakugan would have missed. Her head bowed low and Neji could feel the last trace of life leave her body.

"Neji!" cried a voice behind him.

Neji turned around solemnly. Kiba had a serious look but not nearly as grave as the expression Neji wore.

"Anko…is she…"

"She's gone," Neji replied after a while.

"Well at least we got Sai," Kiba sighed.

"What?" Neji snapped. "Sai? He's here? Alive?"

The Inuzuka took one absent sniff in the air and made a sour face. "Huh? Yeah. He looks alright, maybe a scratch or two. Shino's tending to him."

Neji began making hand seals as he found the small tattoo above Anko's right breast. He whispered something softly ahd tapped the tattoo. He stepped back as Anko's form went up in bright blue flames. It crackled silently, flames biting at Neji's robes but ultimately falling short. When the flames died and the blue hue faded, Anko's body was gone. It was better that way. No one else would ever have to see her like that. Neji bit his lip. He would have to speak to her mother, sweet old lady.

"Neji…this whole thing…it's a complete mess," Kiba admitted.

"I know," Neji said, grinding his teeth.

"We still have a mission. But Sai needs to be debriefed at Konoha."

Neji's nostrils flared as he let out a frustrated exhale of air. "I'll take him back."

"What?" Kiba barked. "What about the mission?"

"The mission is yours," Neji said. "We find Sai at an enemy encampment? No way I'm letting him wander back to Konoha on his own. He better have answers."

The pair of them left the room, now empty and as shaded as it had once been, with no sign Anko had ever been there.

OOO

"Akatsuki!" Ao cried, alarmingly. He took position in front of the Mizukage, shielding his leader from harm.

Mei's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"I see you don't remember me," muttered the masked Akatsuki figure. "I wonder if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Declare yourself!" cried the Mizukage with more authority and strength than she currently commanded.

"No."

Her response was a dozen of ice shards sent towards the figure. They passed through his form and shattered on the rocks behind him. Ao bolted from his position and made to stab the figure with a small blade he had drawn. Madara let the blade pass through him before grabbing the surprised ninja's wrist and forcing him to release the blade. Madara swiftly caught it in his other hand had made to bring it down on Ao's exposed side. The blade's thrust met solid ice. Madara saw a clear pillar extending back to the Mizukage, now wielding an elongated Water's Blight. Ao used this to put distance between the pair of them. Madara decided he did not like the way this ninja was wielding his stolen dojutsu. He locked eyes with the Mist Ninja for but a second. But it was enough. Ao collapsed to the ground, delirious with pain. The Mizukage jabbed the long blade with surprising speed as Madadra once again let the ice pass through him. In almost a goading fashion, he walked towards the Mizukage, the blade sliding through his chest.

"It seems Katsurou and Kisame did a number on you," commented Madara. "You haven't moved from that position. It seems as if you are unable to."

"Don't think you know me or what I'm capable of," Mei grimaced. "I am a Swordsman of the Mist. A blade of the depths. I will not yield, I will not cede –"

"I will take by the sword or die of it." Madara finished.

"Did Katsurou teach you that as well?" Mei spat.

He was getting dangerously close. Mei used all her strength merely to appear able to even stand. The pain her leg was enflaming her nerves and spreading quickly. She hadn't enough chakra to attempt that technique twice in such a short span of time.

"No. Someone sang it to me many years ago," Madara spoke.

The Mizukage hid her shock and leaned heavily against a tree trunk to get to her feet. She flared her chakra, hoping to have enough to muster ice mirrors. If she could move with the light she had a chance of winning. But the strength did not come to her. This was the end.

The Mizukage held her blade tightly to her chest. This lone mystical peace of glass and ice stood as her sole companion throughout the years. She lived for the sword, by the sword. She would take by the sword or die of it. She was a Swordsman of the Mist. A blade of the depths. She would not yield. She would not cede.

Madara launched a killing thrust at the Mizukage. She heard Ao yell from the distance. Her blade bit her hand with a reassuring coldness. She waited for the contact. It never came. Instead both Madara passed through her, awkward and inadvertently. Just as Madara was about to strike, he had seen from the corner of his eye, an incoming projectile, homed into his body. He passed through the Mizukage, looking for his new assailant.

Mei saw the distinct blade embedded deeply into the tree trunk. She knew who had come.

"You won't take her," growled Yagura, furiously.

Madara got up, masking his irritation.

"Twice you've corrupted my students and now have made attempt on the life of another," Yagura spoke with venom.

With the wave of a hand, the blade dislodged itself from deep within the tree and flew back to Yagura's hand. Both blades were now unsheathed and Yagura had begun approaching Madara at a brisk pace. He had forgot nothing of his last entanglement with Madara, all those years ago. Yagura watched his feet closely. Madara's legs bent, his feet ready to push off the floor, needing to materialize to propel his body. At that moment, Yagura opened his mouth and let out an inhumane cry, more ferocious and terrible than anything of this world. It filled every corner of the world with its insidious nature and its very essence was strong enough to ring Madara's ears, disorientingly and threw his now material body backwards.

Madara, now on his back, looked up at the sky and saw Yagura airborne and descending, blade tip pointed at him, intent on piercing Madara's heart as he landed. Madara disappeared into the ground, reappearing a great distance from Yagura.

"I know your tricks!" Yagura called. "Face me once more and I will finish what I started."

Yagura turned around and expectantly saw a scene he had already seen twice before. It was as if the material world was bending to some strange anomaly. There were ripples in the air, only, they weren't ripples at all. It was as if the invisible fabric of the world was being strained. Whatever it was, Yagura saw the familiar sight of Madara being consumed by it. In seconds, the anomaly died, with Madara gone.

"Mei!" Yagura spoke, lacking no concern.

Before Yagura could reach her, Ao stepped in his way, determined.

"Stop!" he said strongly. "Mizukage-sama, don't forget who he is…what he's done."

"Step aside," Yagura stated deadly.

"No."

"Ao! That's enough!" Mei snapped.

Ao turned around, ludicrously. "After what he did to the village? Do you know how many lie dead because-"

"Better than you do," Mei growled. "And Sensei knows better than either of us. Let him pass. That's an order."

Yagura stepped past Ao and knelt beside Mei.

"Your wounds," Yagura noted gravely. "I'm sorry. You should never have had to pay for my mistakes."

"They were my mistakes too," Mei replied resolutely.

Yagura turned away. Mei's eyes followed him. "You were running not only the village but the entire country! You had bigger things to manage, sensei. But I was with Ichiku and Kisame and Katsurou everyday. I should have seen the signs…and I should have stopped what he did to you that day."

Yagura felt a horrible feeling pooling within him. A tender silence was cast over them.

"Who was that man?" Mei asked, at last. "He knew our oath, he knew me and if I'm not mistaken, you both knew each other."

Yagura spoke deliberately. "That was the Second Mizukage. Madara Uchiha."

"Madara…" whispered the Mizukage, unbelieving. "How can that be? He was killed by Hashirama Senju ages ago! If there was an Uchiha leading Kirigakure someone would have noticed!"

"The Sharingan concealed him for his tenure," spoke Yagura mournfully. "He leads the Akatsuki. Believe me Mei, he is no friend of Kirigakure. And with such extensive knowledge and history in our lands, he is more deadly to us than any other country."

Yagura peered around and saw the lacerations near the Mizukage's back.

"The marks on your back," Yagura whispered.

"Kisame's doing," spoke the Mizukage. "I don't know how he did it but he fashioned himself a new blade. It…it looked like…"

"It looked like part of the Sanbi," Yagura finished. "He called it the Samehada. If Kisame was able to clash with it and emerge victorious with a new blade, he's far deadlier than he was all those years ago."

"Sensei, Katsurou was with him," Mei said gently. "He and Kisame were at the Shadow Summit. All hell broke lose there. The Tsuchikage killed the Raikage and now both countries are going to war."

She would have had a hard time fashioning ice colder than the stare on her sensei's face. His jaw clenched and his eyes turned hard and alien.

"So Katsurou and Kisame are working together now," Yagura muttered. "I suppose it saves me the trouble of hunting them down individually."

Mei grabbed her old sensei's arm. "You don't have to go sensei. You've paid enough for the sins that aren't yours. Come back to Kiri. We can find them together."

"If you walk through the Kiri gates with the likes of me, you'd be nearly as unpopular of a Kage as I was," Yagura warned. "They hold no love for me in Kiri, only hatred. And I don't blame them."

"To hell with what they think," the Mizukage spoke. "You're not in this alone."

"Yes I am," replied Yagura. "The league of Swordsmen is over, Mei. My students are either dead, on their way or wounded enough as it is. My name has been struck from history, only ever uttered as a curse by the people. I am in this alone, Mei."

Mei used a pillar of ice to help her stand on her feet. She looked fiercely at Yagura. "Why must you do this to yourself?"

Yagura shook his head. "You know, I never was able to congratulate you on becoming Mizukage. You've turned into a fine woman, Mei. You've made a great leader and lifted Kiri out of the mess I left it in. There are few things I have done right in my life. You are undeniably one of them."

Mei managed to smile at him sadly.

"Remember," said Yagura, eerily reminiscent of his old days of teaching and tutoring. "Stay healthy, don't let stress starve you to death."

Mei laughed. "I'm not fourteen anymore sensei."

"Even so," sighed Yagura lightly. "Remember what I taught you. You are the sword. When you go into battle, you better have shields at your back. I suppose this is as close to a proper send off as I'll ever give. Trust your instincts. Love your people and they will love you. Fight for them, and they will fight for you. Rule with a strong fist but a stronger spirit. Keep the waters calm. Keep the city safe. And don't listen to that Daimyo for a damn second."

With overwhelming sadness, the Mizukage wretched her face into a white smile. A lone cold tear began its descent down her cheek.

"I wish you could find peace some other way, sensei," Mei noted solemnly. "Please don't forget sensei, even if you still think you made Katsurou what he is, you did rescue him that day. You rescued that boy. And that is not something needing regret. I fear through your coming actions, you will lose even more of your students, sensei. I just pray you don't lose yourself. Don't forget who you are."


	16. Important Note

**Authors Note:**

I am terribly sorry for leaving this story hanging for a dreadful amount of time. I really do apologize. It's both disappointing and infuriating when I see it happen to other stories and I regret that it happened to mine.

But I have good news! I have been working for the last month to come up with a new redraft of this story that will keep similar plot elements and hopefully expand and improve on parts I thought were lacking.

Over the next few weeks I will slowly be releasing chapter updates, beginning with chapter redrafts to this story, which will contain very many new things, though its content should be familiar to the original plot. I am very excited about this, and I hope you'll bear with me for a few weeks until I get things going again.

Chris


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